Harry Potter and the Labyrinth of the Damned
by AngelZash
Summary: Snape has been found out for the spy he is, now will he survive his discovery? ~Sequel to Harry Potter and the Great Escape~ ~Completed!~
1. On Rocky Paths of Glory...

Hey!! This was fast, wasn't it? Well, you have Lycoris to thank for that. I told her I'd write and get this up today if she got her story's next chapter out by today. And she did, so I did! :o

Anyway, not everything in this story will be as it seems. Especially when it comes to my main characters, whom'll you'll figure out as we go. You're also going to want to kill me for a future twist in the story. DON'T. Just keep my warning that not everything can be taken at face value in this story.

Also, I'm gonna play with the chapter titles, so keep an eye on them. And if there is a "Next Chapter: ____" that means that there will be a next chapter.

If you would like me to e-mail you when new chapters go up, just tell me. If you want me to do so everytime a new one comes up, let me know that too. I won't mind, I'll just be glad you are enjoying the story. As always, I love CREATIVE Critism. Non-creative criticism annoys me beyond belief and you don't want that. Especially since I've a bad tendency to be emotional when stressed and I'm always stressed during the school year. ::Evil grin:: You only thought Voldemort was evil until you've met me when truly angered. Also, please don't ask me to do something with the story. I don't mind the occasional, "Get on with it already!" But plot twist suggestions are not something I like. I'll tell you when I need an idea or two. I also do not mind being asked for a certain story that you want written, but wanna read rather than write. I just hate being side-tracked when I already know where I'm going with a plot. Thanks!!

Disclaimer: None of the characters in this story are mine, I'm just borrowing them. Only the story plot is mine. Suing me is a waste of your time, money and health as all I have are the huge debts from having been in college for three years.

Now...ENJOY!!!

  
  


Voldemort had been kept waiting for a week now. Voldemort did not like to be kept waiting, a fact which Wormtail had been made aware of quite often during the past week.

Wormtail scurried down the hall to his master's chambers wondering how he'd ever ended up as he was now. He sighed as thoughts of a sandy haired werewolf and two laughing raven-haired boys popped into his mind. For the millionth time since he had escaped Sirius and Lupin's wrath, Wormtail wished he had been just a little bit braver, just a smidgeon stronger.

He missed the good days back when he was a Hogwarts student with three great close friends and the fervent hope that he wouldn't make Professor McGonagall too angry with him in their next lesson. She had always seemed to believe that he she just gave him enough homework, he'd get a little better at her course. He never had and she had never let up.

He stopped walking when he reached the door to his master's room and stood shivering pitifully, knowing his master was fully aware of his presence and not knowing whether he was in a mood that Wormtail should knock or shouldn't knock. After a moment, the decision was made for him.

"Wormtail," came the high voice of You-Know-Who. Wormtail shivered at the malevolence in the grating voice, realizing too late that he should have knocked.

Wormtail hesitantly opened the door and stepped into the room. The Dark Lord's malevolent red eyes glared at his servant as he twitched in his nervous way.

"M-m-master, they have finished the labyrinth," Wormtail told him in as steady a voice as he could manage.

"Excellent," the figure of terror exclaimed. 

The Dark Lord swept quickly past Wormtail as he made his way eagerly to the door. Once there he stopped and turned. Wormtail tried not to flinch as he knew what would follow.

"Crucio," his master said lazily. 

Wormtail's feeble efforts to be strong crumbled suddenly and he fell to the floor in blinding agony. There he writhed for a few seconds, screaming his throat raw. 

"Now, Wormtail," the Dark Lord said as though he had not just cursed a man into inexplicable agony just moments before, "we have a hunt to prepare. Come!"

With that command, the Dark Lord swept from the room and Wormtail struggled to rise and follow.

After a minute of struggle, he finally changed into his rat form and ran after his master, all the while thinking, 'Why did I join him again?'

  
  


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Severus Snape walked quickly from the castle, his hand tightly wrapped around his left arm and the darkly glowing mark there. He scowled at everything along the path, though most of the things he passed were no more aware of him than the Earth is of her inhabitants. 

Snape wished he could have remained in the castle a little bit longer, he was still somewhat weak from his adventures of the week before and his worry over the still comatose Harry Potter had not helped his weakness any. The boy slept unaware of anything that went on around him, making Snape spitefully wonder if perhaps he was actually awake and was simply milking the worry for all it was worth. 

He immediately felt regretful at these thoughts, but his expression only darkened and his steps quicken. 

Snape reached the edge of the anti-apparition field and took a moment to glance back at the castle behind.

'You had better be awake, boy, when I get back,' he thought, a felling of extreme unease overcoming him at this thought. He idly wondered why before he realized he was stalling, which would only make the Dark Lord angrier. 

Snape sighed and let the magic course through him. He watched the countryside around him quickly fade away into the sight of the deatheaters who surrounded him. 

Panic replaced the magic in Snape's veins as he realized that he had been found out. Or perhaps, just suspected of being a spy? Dare he hope?

Snape realized that the most likely probability was the former, but decided to play his role until the bitter end. If he did this just right, he might just survive the night. If not...

"What," Snape snarled at Lucius Malfoy, who simply smirked and looked over Snape's shoulder at something.

Cold gripped Snape's heart as he realized who stood behind him. He wasn't even given the time to turn before the pain began to work at his very bones, trying to break him into micro-splinters.

He fell onto his side, screaming unintelligibly as the pain seemed to bore into him. It continued for what seemed an eternity before mercy and blessed relief reclaimed Snape for their own. Sweet fresh breath flowed back into his lungs as they labored to supply his weak body with the necessary oxygen.

"Master," Snape gasped out, "what did I do? Master..."

"You have betrayed me, haven't you, Snape," the Dark Lord asked him rhetorically. 

Snape answered him anyway.

  
  


"No, my lord. Never, my lord. I am loyal to you and only you forever," Snape ground out desperately as he began to try to grovel. It was a task he found revolting, but was made easier by the true fear that had overtaken him. It was human nature to want to survive and preserve one's life. Severus Snape was no exception.

"Don't lie to me," the Dark Lord screamed as he cursed Snape again. This torture was shorter this time, which terrified Snape further for some reason.

"Get up," the Dark Lord demanded.

Snape obediently rose unsteadily to his feet, his newly healed body screaming in protest.

"You helped Harry Potter survive a week ago," Voldemort accused his servant. 

Snape shook his head in protest, "No, master. I was simply trying to bring him back-"

"Then where he is, Snape," spat the dark lord.

"I was injured and was found by Black and Lupin. I could not defeat them so I let them think-"

"Silence," commanded the disfigured dark creature as his red eyes glowed madly. "You are a spy. The reason I have not already claimed both the Wizarding and the Muggle worlds as mine."

Snape began to protest, but a quick spell left him gagged and bound. 

"Bring him," commanded the dark lord as Snape fell into Malfoy's rough hands.

"Yes, master," Malfoy said with an evil grin as he lifted the teacher into the air with his wand. 

The fear began to fade into numbness as Snape was floated along a long winding path through a thick forest. He knew he was in shock, but found he could no longer care. His life was over, what did it matter?

Suddenly horror squeezed Snape's heart to a near stop as he saw the large opening in the bushes ahead of him. He hoped wildly that they were going anywhere but here. Here was not something anyone could survive. He doubted even Dumbledore himself could survive this place.

"The Labyrinth of the Damned," said the dark lord gleefully as Snape was unceremoniously tossed inside. "Can you survive what no one else has?"

Voldemort laughed at what he obviously considered to be a very funny joke. His deatheaters nervously laughed with him. 

He stopped suddenly, the deatheaters snapping silent as well at the lack of the high, piercing laughter. The wand lifted and Snape flinched as a burst of green light flared from its tip, engulfing the entrance.

"You know the rules," Snape heard his old master say through the bushes. "Can you survive to make it to the only available apparition site in the center of the maze?"

Laughter sounded as Snape shrugged off his suddenly loose bonds and began to run into the maze, afraid to think of what might be ahead of him and terrified to think of what would soon be behind him.

  
  


Next Chapter: He Slips on Blood...


	2. He Slips on Blood

Sorry this took so long. Seems I need my gull bladder out and the symptoms from that have been keeping me from doing much of anything. For that reason, this chapter is a little shorter than normal as well. Sorry!

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy! And no, this will not be a crossover of any type with that 80's movie, "The Labyrinth," as much as I enjoyed that movie. Sorry. 

Enjoy!

  
  


Dumbledore swept down the corridors of Hogwarts, the edges of his robes fluttering around him in the slight breeze his speed created. His face was set in silent contemplation and his eyes shone with the knowledge of something secret.

Unfortunately, not even Dumbledore knew the secret that had dimmed the light in his eyes. All he knew was that something was about to happen that he did not want to happen.

He sighed, a sound of absolute frustration, as he came to the doorway of the sick room. There he stood and watched as Remus, Sirius, Ron and Hermione all sat around Harry's bed and talked. 

They all seemed to be in high spirits. Each of the four held a smile to some degree and would laugh occasionally at something another said before adding something to the conversation. At times, they would turn to Harry as if to include him in the conversation. Harry, of course, remained silent, which brought a hint of sorrow to all their eyes.

Dumbledore shook his head again, wishing Snape was there as well. He knew that Snape had grown quite close to the boy on the bed, even if he would never admit it, even to himself, and every time he went to spy on Voldemort he risked losing all he had. 

A shiver ran through Dumbledore at this thought and he suddenly knew that the anxious feeling had to do with Snape. Snape was in trouble, but Dumbledore had no way of knowing where he was or if trying to send him aid would simply worsen his danger. However, Dumbledore had to find something out about Snape. Snape's life might depend on it. 

He was in the middle of turning when a cry from the room stopped him. 

"Harry!"

  
  


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Snape hurried through the labyrinth corridors, marveling at the reconstruction job. It had been rebuilt to look almost exactly as it had before, the only difference being the walls' stone chinks and the way the plant life fell over the walls. 

He stopped to listen for a moment, hoping he had a little more time before the dark lord sent his followers after Snape. If he just had a little more time, Snape knew he could escape this labyrinth as the other deatheaters had only the advantage of the dark creatures within the labyrinth being magically blind to them. 

When Snape had decided that the other deatheaters had not yet entered, he continued on. He hadn't gone very far, however, when the labyrinth began its first change of the night.

Walls seemed to melt and grow. Ivy seemed to wend its way through stone to create new corridors and close off old ones. Before Snape's eyes the scenery began to shift and change until it looked nothing as it had before.

Snape cursed and leaned against the ivy covered stone wall, hoping that the change had further aided him in his escape. He had no doubt that the dark lord's follower's would now enter the labyrinth. 

After a minute, Snape tried to straighten and continue on, but found he couldn't. A couple tendrils of ivy had wrapped themselves around his waist and an arm. With another curse, Snape reached for his wand with his free hand.

"What," Snape asked disbelieving, as his hand met with empty robe. 

He thought frantically for where his wand was, since his knew he had had it with him, but no answer was forthcoming. Then it hit him as another tendril of ivy began to wrap itself around his free wrist.

"Malfoy," he spat, attempting to pull his arm from the grip of the plant. It had to have been Malfoy who took his wand when he'd been captured. If it hadn't been him, then this plant really was the ivy it looked like.

The plant began to step up its efforts to entangle Snape now as he struggled frantically against it. Snape tried holding still in an attempt to fool it into letting him go, but it was so easily fooled. He tried systematically unraveling the plant's limbs from himself, but the more he moved away, the tighter its grip and the harder it pulled him to the wall.

Snape was caught and he knew it. He thought of Dumbledore as he struggled vainly, wishing he had let the man know how much his trust and kindness had meant to him. 

He thought of Harry and wished that he had been a little less hard on the boy. Or at least not have let him think for the past four years that he hated him. He wished he had been able to show Harry how much he had actually loved him. 

But maybe it was better this way. Harry deserved better than a broken man with the blood of innocents staining his pale hands. The boy deserved a man who could be his father and not just love him as a father.

He hoped Sirius would have the brains to take care of Harry properly. The man had always been rather self-centered and Snape didn't think he deserved to be the only Harry had left.

The plant's hold became tighter and it began to get harder for Snape to breathe. Stars appeared in front of his eyes as they slid closed. He gave up fighting as the welcoming darkness began to overcome him, promising to relieve his burning lungs. 

A bright flash of light suddenly brightened his sight to a red as he glimpsed the blood vessels in his eyelids and the plant stiffened and let go of him at it. He fell to the ground gasping for the much needed air he could now gather. He only lay there a moment, though, before beginning to struggle away from the plant before it could renew its attack on him.

"Are you ok," asked a shockingly familiar voice as a pair warm spots moved through his arms and into his chest.

Snape jerked away and turned to gape openly at the last person he had ever expected to see. 

  
  


Next Chapter: He Stumbles Over Their Shadows


	3. He Stumbles Over Shadows

Well, here's chapter 3. Sorry it took so long, but I did have my gull bladder out and it was bad. Doc said that if I had waited any longer I'd've died. Lovely thought that. As it is, you've got a chapter written while my mind was unable to keep my mind on any one thing due to pain and sleepiness brought on by pain medicine. Anyway, I think it still turned out ok. We'll see what you all think.

Shandethe Sanders: Grammar and punctuation in a fictional story are subject to the story and how the author wants the story to be read. Most of my 'mistakes' are due to this reasoning. However, I'm sure there are a few mistakes. I'm only human and my comp has a habit of paying games on me. Such as, in this chapter, Snape's name would more often than not come up "snape" even though I hit the 'shift' key at the same time as the 's' key. I try to catch all my unintentional mistakes, human and otherwise, as I write and as I prepare for posting, but I do miss some. As for how to spell deatheaters, I'll check it as soon as I can get my hands back on my books. They're in my dorm room at the moment, which is about 100 miles away. My surgery has prevented me from returning to school for over a week now.

Anyway, thanks for the reviews and remember: NOTHING IS AS IT SEEMS IN THIS STORY.

Enjoy!

  
  


Regret. Regret was an awful life's companion. It never let you go for an instant, always reminding you of what you once had and what you might have had. 

Regret becomes even worse when you have the reminder of what you gave I all up for standing beside you, cursing you whenever he feels like it. I wonder what he would say if he knew I was indebted to Harry Potter. I wonder if he would say it before or after he cursed my sanity from me. I regret that he will one day discover that secret and it will have been my own fault. My own fault for bringing him back and not abandoning him. My own fault for betraying my friends in the first place. 

Regret. Regret is what rules my life now. Its funny because it's a welcome change. A welcome change from the feeling of nothingness and guilt. 

I regret now the facts I once tried to escape in sleep because I know I will pay for my sins one day. My past will catch up will me. 

I guess what I truly regret is that I have a past to regret. I regret ever hearing the name, Voldemort. No one likes to say or hear his name, but only I truly understand why. I loathe being his lackey.

He's calling for me again. I scuttle over to him and hope he isn't in a bad mood, the curses always last longer when he is.

"Wormtail," he says looking at me with his bright red eyes. "Where have you been?"

"A-a-awaiting your order, Master," I tell him, hating my stammer. That stammer is a sign of what led me to this place fourteen years ago. Or has it been fifteen now? Does it matter?

"Stop shivering, Wormtail," he commands me as though he were an emperor speaking to the beggar on the corner. "Go into the maze and help the deatheaters find Snape. He must not reach the center of the maze."

My heart stops in my chest as my fear escalates. Me, the cowardly Wormtail, in the Labyrinth of the Damned? 

"GO," my master yells viciously at me and curses me for a short moment.

I fall to the ground as pain racks my body, but I have hardly hit it when it subsides. My body's memory of the pain has not faded away when I change into my rat form and begin to runit the maze.

I can only hope that being so small will protect me from the dark creatures that inhabit the labyrinth.

  
  


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A tremor worked its way up Severus Snape's body and through each of his limbs until it had finally reached his brain where it finally exploded like a stick of dynamite. He fell back into the wall behind him with a hoarse yell, certain his eyes lied.

"'Harry,'" he gasped, his eyes wide his pale flesh now deprived of all color as he stared at the vision that was Harry Potter.

"Yes, Professor," the vision answered calmly, which Snape found remarkable given the circumstances.

"How..." Snape choked out. He looked Harry over desperately, trying to explain what his eyes told him stood before him.

Harry stood before Snape dressed as he had been before he had been kidnapped, but now he GLOWED. A blue glow surrounded his form and blurred it enough that Snape could hardly tell that he could see the wall behind Harry through Harry's body. But he could see it, and that scared him more than anything else.

Harry looked around the maze corridor slowly, not having noticed his condition, "I don't know, Professor. The last thing I remember is the grove of trees outside that house and the deatheater finding us."

An emotion Snape had never felt before began to squeeze his heart, causing him to realize it to be softer than he had thought. Tears pricked his eyes, but he blinked them viciously away. He'd lived through worse.

"What happened to 'you,' Potter," he asked Harry gruffly. "You must remember something. Fifteen year old boys who have been lying unconscious in a hospital bed for a week do not just appear in the Labyrinth of the Damned, 'glowing.'"

Harry looked surprised at Snape's assertion and glanced down at himself. His jaw dropped on a gasp and his eyes widened as he watched himself lift his glowing hand into the air.

"I - I'm - I'm glowing..." Harry whispered to himself in awe.

"Yes, that has been observed," Snape drawled, wondering if death had somehow made the boy even more stupid than he once believed him to be.

Harry snapped his head up to glare at his potions professor through narrowed eyes, "Not by me, it hasn't."

For a moment Snape stared at Harry stared, stunned. Had his student just talked back to him? That had never happened before. Then again, he'd never spoken to a dead student before.

A noise from further down the corridor startled Snape, causing him to forget the scathing comeback he'd finally managed come up with. He glanced nervously down toward where the noise had come from as he stood and brushed himself off.

"Come along, Potter. We can't be caught here," Snape told Harry as he started back on his original at a bit of a faster pace.

"What was that, Professor Snape," Harry asked he practically ran to keep up with Snape's pace.

"That was the deatheaters. They will be hunting me in this Laybrinth. That's one of the reasons why it is called the Labyrinth of the Damned," Snape answered, a bit annoyed.

"Labyrinth of the Damned, what is that," Harry asked again. Snape could hear his desperate hope that he would not anger his professor in the boy's voice.

"It is a labyrinth that the dark lord created to hunt down his enemies. It's his preferred sport," Snape answered absently as he tried to decide which direction to go at a junction in the maze.

  
  


"Try left," Harry told him. Snape glanced at him and started down the right path. He heard Harry sigh and knew the boy was still keeping up with him.

"How do you escape," he asked, finally inciting Snape to let some of his anger boil over.

"You don't," Snape snapped at him. "The labyrinth is filled with dark creatures, plants, traps and deatheaters to prevent your ever reaching the center, the only place you can apparate. Now be silent, unless you want me to be killed."

Much to Snape's annoyance, Harry's questions were only replaced by heavy breathing.

"If you were any louder, you'd be a firecracker, boy," Snape told him.

"I'm not a boy," a voice said, just before Snape heard Harry gasp his name and a heavy hand landed solidly between his shoulder blades.

Snape landed hard on the maze's stone floor, but managed to roll to a crouching position facing his attacker. He watched as Harry attacked the deatheater that stood there and flew straight through him.

"So, the great Harry Potter is dead. The dark lord will be pleased with me for this news, don't you think, Snape," the deatheater asked him, laughter tinging his voice.

Snape growled and reached for his wand, only to meet empty robes and the memory of his missing wand. A look of fear crept into his eyes as he began to realize that he would be joining Harry a lot sooner than he had thought.

  
  


Next Chapter: Into The Unknown His Footsteps Lead


	4. Straight into the Blind Unknown

Sorry this took so long. I have so much to do now!! Getting over this and making up all the work I missed is going to be... a lot of fun. Anyway!

Shandethe Sanders: Did I offend you? I hope not. When I wrote my response to you, I was a little out of it and so when I went back, it seemed a little harsh and blunt to even me. Anyway. I do make mistakes and if you catch them, you can tell me. I'll change them unless they have a reason for being there. And I finally got to check the spelling of Death Eater. You were right. Thanks for the pointer!

I'm glad everyone is still enjoying this! I'm actually going to be changing this a bit. Not much, I'm only going to add in Draco Malfoy as a minor character. He won't have a large part, but he will be in the story from now on. Your wish is granted, Demeter. I finally decided the story could benefit from his involvement.

Now, enjoy!

  
  


Father's gone into the maze. We're alone with him now. Not even that Wormtail remained behind. 

Wormtail is a sniveling coward, but at least I wouldn't have been so scared if he was here. If he was here then the dark lord Father reveres so much would have someone else to torture.

Pansy Parkinson is hanging on my arm, whispering how wonderful it s to be given the chance we've been given by his allowing us to be here. I want to scream at her to shut up, but I know she only says it because she is scared too. I also know that if I do ihe/i will hear and then not even my father could save me from my possible punishment.

My friends, Crabbe and Goyle stand behind me. They're a pair of idiots and I only keep them around because of their large size, but even they, with their great hulking bodies, do not calm me this time. I can not take comfort in my own goons.

I shift restlessly, idly hoping my father would hurry up so we can go. I don't like being here with the dark lord and I can't seem to stop feeling a pang of regret for my teacher. I know I shouldn't, he i is /i a traitor, but I somehow find hunting down like an animal very wrong. I wouldn't even subject Ronald Weasley to this. 

Well, maybe Ron Weasley...

"Draco Malfoy," the high pitched voice of Lord Voldemort calls, startling me out of my reverie. 

"Y-y-yes, Master," I reply as formally and meekly as I can manage. I do not want to die before my teacher.

"If I make you a Death Eater," he asks me, his red eyes boring into my own, "will you ever betray me as he has done?"

I shake my head, bile suddenly rising in my throat. I swallow it back down and wait for his reaction.

"No," he says silkily, a hand reaching out to caress my cheek, "you would never betray your lord. You would never be that foolish.

He smiles a sick smile, as though he knows something I don't. My fear almost turns to terror as I suddenly feel helpless.

I remember when I was little and my father took me fox hunting. I remember the poor beautiful creature we chased down. We finally trapped him in his own burrow. That is where he died, afraid and helpless against his wizard adversaries.

I know what he felt that day now. I wish I didn't.

He turns back to watch the maze again and I step back away from him. Pansy tries to recapture me in her arms, but I sidestep her, shaking my head in a silent denial. She looks hurt, but I find I can't care. 

  
  


I feel trapped. 

I want to go home now...

  
  


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Harry stared open mouthed for a moment at the man that had succeeded in catching both him and his professor off guard. He still wasn't quite sure where the Death Eater had come from, but what shocked him the most was the look of fear that had come over Snape's face. Harry hadn't thought it possible for the irascible Potions Master to be anything but sure and confident.

"The ghost of Harry Potter to oversee the death of his professor," the Death Eater said, a smug smile apparent in his voice. "How fitting. And I bet you were his i favorite /i teacher too."

An indignant growl escaped Snape, though it wasn't as effective as it normally was with the look of fear shining in his eyes.

"And was he your ifavorite/i student, as well, Snape," the man asked with a laugh. 

Harry didn't understand what the man was talking about, it was common knowledgethat he and Snape loathed each other. Or, at least, they had before.

"You have no idea what you are talking about," Snape snarled angrily. Some of the fear seemed to have been banished from his eyes by the anger; a fact that lifted Harry's spirits greatly.

And literally. 

Harry looked down to find himself floating a foot off the ground, his body shimmering brightly in the dark passage. 

"Professor," Harry gasped in alarm. His voice shimmered along with his body, making it seem as though he were speaking through the moving blades of a fan.

Snape looked sharply over at him, a look of horror dawning on his face. Harry was momentarily amazed that his professor could actually look more afraid. He was even more shocked to realize that he was the reason his professor looked so afraid.

Harry's shock soon faded, though, as he realized what he must look like to the two men. A kind of sadness passed over him at this realization, but he didn't understand why. It wasn't as though Snape had ever liked him before.

Suddenly Harry grinned as he met the eyes of the Death Eater, who was just beginning to recover himself. Harry lashed his fist out at the Death Eater, a bit of surprise flashing through him when it passed through the man's stomach. That didn't matter though, he still fell back from the blow, hitting his head against the wall and sliding to the floor unconscious. 

"Not bad, Potter," Snape said as he took the man's wand from him and used it to bind him. "However, next time, do alert us lowly living people to your intentions the next time you feel like creating a diversion."

"I didn't mean to," Harry told Snape, still flickering slightly. "It just started and doesn't seem to be stopping anytime soon, Professor."

Snape looked a bit alarmed at this, but since the flickering was greatly lessened now, he simply turned back around and started back into the maze. With a last glance back at the unconscious Death Eater, Harry hurried to follow.

"Professor, what did he mean when he sa-,"

"Nothing, Potter," Snape interrupted Harry quickly. "Forget it."

Harry fell silent a moment as he surveyed Snape's angry face again. 

Harry knew it had been an insult, but for some reason he couldn't understand why it had upset Snape so much. He watched as Snape gave a shudder and murmured curses against the Death Eater. He decided to drop it for now and simply continued to float along beside Snape.

About an hour of silence passed before Harry realized that Snape was pulling ahead of him. He tried to hurry to catch up with the professor again, but found that moving was becoming rather like swimming in through pudding.

"Professor Snape," Harry called, panic beginning to take hold of him as he realized his voice was shaking worse than ever and his body was now flickering madly. "ibProfessor Snape!/b/i"

"What is it, boy," Snape asked irritably as he reluctantly stopped and turned.

Harry knew the exact moment realization hit his teacher as his teacher. Snape's pale face grew to white enough to rival Nearly Headless Nick's and his eyes widened into black pools of shock and, could it be, anguish.

Snape's face quickly fell into a look of annoyed indifference as he rushed forward, his black cloak whipping behind him. 

"What have you done now, boy," Snape snarled, reaching out to try and grab him.

Harry thought the hand would pass straight through him, but, amazingly enough, it didn't. Snape's long fingered hand wrapped firmly around Harry's forearm and the flickering began to subside until it had stopped completely. Slowly, Harry drifted back down to earth, his blue glow once more strong. 

"The potion..." Snape whispered in awe after a moment of staring at an equally stunned Harry.

"Potion, sir," Harry asked, his mind snapping back to him.

Snape's face twisted into a smug look that told Harry he was proud of something. 

"That's right, Potter. You were poisoned, so I mixed you an antidote with my own blood," Snape told him, his voice dripping with an gloating glee. 

Snape's face dropped as the remembrance of Harry's current condition hollowed his eyes once more, but Harry didn't notice. He was too busy feeling shocked.

i'Because he loves you. You're his little boy.'/i

The words seemed to resound through Harry's mind as he remembered how much his professor had gone through and suddenly wondered if it could be true. Could Snape really feel as though he were Harry's ifather/i?

Harry looked deep into Snape's black eyes, noticing a small flicker of confusion from snape at the intense look he was now the recipient of. Finally, Harry nodded, deciding that the anguish he thought he could see there was proof enough to warrant his next question.

"Sir, do you really hate me," Harry asked hesitantly, truly afraid of the answer. "How do you feel about me?"

  
  


Next Chapter: Fearing the Heartbeat


	5. Fearing the Heartbeat

Hey all! Sorry this is SOO late! And I told people it might be out as early as last Thursday!! Sorry!! Been busy! Not to mention exhausted!

Ok, well, anyway... No, this story is not going to be slash. Can tell you that now. Hopefully, this chapter will lay all such doubts to rest. 

Ariana Deralte: Snape did take the Death Eater's wand. He bound him with it in the middle of the chapter I believe.

Also, people asked me to review their fics and someone asked me if they could put this story and its predecessor on their site. Did I answer you guys? I can barely remember things from when I was sick. If I didn't, let me know, please??? Will reply as soon as possible. Thanks!

Enjoy!

Snape's mind froze. It was a very rare event to find Snape speechless, but he was, nevertheless, now. 

He couldn't tell the boy exactly how he felt about him, but he found that he no longer wanted to lie to him. Or, rather, Snape did not want to lie about this particular thing to Harry. But if he admitted that he wanted to play the role of father to him, that he felt as though he WERE Harry's father, he would simply place him in more danger.

Snape took a step back from Harry's bright, questioning eyes. Harry no longer looked like anyone at that moment, simply like a lost little boy. Snape wondered how he'd look if he told him the truth. Would he be horrified? Or would he react with the usual Potter charm and simply accept it? Snape discovered he would like to know, suddenly.

Harry glanced back towards where they had come, a nervous look on his face. 

'...was he you FAVORITE student,' suddenly rang through Snape's mind, bringing new doubts with it.

Was that what Harry was wondering about? That his teacher was a pervert who liked little boys? 

Snape's lips curled in an expression of disgust and annoyance, "You believe that idiot's foolishness, then, Potter?"

Harry seemed to flinch slightly at Snape's harsh tone, "Of course not, Professor. Malfoy was always your favorite student."

Snape completely missed the sorrow that flitted through Harry's words in his amazement. The boy really hadn't understood what the Death Eater had been implying. Snape wasn't sure if he should be grateful or angry. Surely even Harry wasn't that naive at fifteen years old!

"Don't tell me you are too stupid to comprehend his meaning,"Snape said incredulously.

At first Harry looked angry, but Snape knew the moment realization hit him as his face changed to a wider expression of shock and his jaw dropped to the floor.

"Y-you mean he thought - thought we were..."

"Lovers," Snape finished frankly for the shocked boy.

He watched Harry's face turn red and glow purple as he blushed and idly hoped he wasn't turning red as well. At least the boy wasn't totally ignorant, anyway.

"EEEEWWW..." Harry finally said. 

Severus almost chuckled in amusement at his reaction, but couldn't help the rise of indignation at the boy's obvious disgust at the thought of being with him.

"No offense, Professor, but..." Harry said, finally remembering Snape's presence. "I can't think of myself with a GUY, let alone my - my -"

Snape raised an eyebrow at the words, but was inwardly relieved. At least the boy didn't hate him. He didn't feel anything remotely romantic toward the boy, but his heart would be shredded if Harry had rejected him on any level.

"I find I must agree with you, Potter," Snape told him gruffly. "Now, let's continue before any more earth-shattering miracles occur."

Snape heard Harry chuckle behind him as he continued through the maze. He made care to keep Harry within a reasonable distance in case something should happen for the boy to need him again. 

As he swept down the corridors, he rubbed his arm where the scar from his sacrifice for Harry's cure still showed and wondered what had gone wrong. His brain became so preoccupied, in fact, that he never noticed the small figure creeping through the labyrinth corridors after him.

  
  


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Wormtail watched Harry and Snape make their way through the maze. It seemed to him that Snape stood a better chance of surviving the maze than he did, and he was still a Death Eater. 

He followed them at the top of one of the walls and allowed the other Death eaters to catch sight of him, knowing it would still be a while before they reached the professor and his dead student. The two had reached a very dangerous part of the labyrinth, though not the most dangerous, and the Dark Lord would have Wormtail's head if he led the others straight into the mouths of the dark creatures that inhabited his arena of death. 

Somehow, that didn't worry Wormtail, though. He knew that if he could deliver of Harry's connection to Snape through some sort of potion, he would be rewarded. The Dark Lord was always looking for new ways of lengthening his life span and this would be news worth mentioning. 

After the labyrinth. 

Before and Wormtail might be taking his life in his hands. 

A claw wrapped itself around Wormtail's middle and he squealed before he could stop himself.

'Where had that come from,' he wondered as he struggled. 

His struggling proved to be in vain, as the creature simply held him and made its way towards the teacher and ghost walking below.

'So, I'm just dessert, huh," Wormtail thought, his struggles ceasing as he hoped began trying to gnaw on the claws that held him. They didn't seem to notice this either and held him just as tightly.

The creature continued stalking Snape down the corridor and Wormtail wondered if he'd have the chance to give You-Know-Who his information. Briefly, he was glad, before his normal cowardly nature took over his senses and he began to fight insanely for his freedom.

  
  


Next Chapter: ??? (Can't think of my title at the moment)


	6. He Stills Its Pounding

Hey! Sorry this took so long to get out. I've been really busy lately. In fact, one night last week I didn't even go to sleep. I just napped between classes the next day. 

I'm also sorry that this is so short. I hope to make the next chapter longer though. And I was able to give it an especially cruel cliffhanger. ::grins evilly and looks around, wondering if she should get bodyguards to protect her after this chapter::

Tidmag: I said I'd have it out by Sunday night and just barely made it. Enjoy!

Enjoy everyone!!

  
  


Snape knew they were being stalked. He could practically feel the dark creature as it followed and waited for the moment to attack. He allowed Harry to catch up with him and finally pass, so that the creature wouldn't have a chance to harm the boy. 

Even if Harry was a ghost, Snape found he couldn't stop protecting him. It had become a habit that wouldn't be easily broken, no matter how much Snape wished he could break it. He didn't want to love the boy, he really didn't, but it seemed his protectiveness of James Potter's son in Harry's first had sealed his fate. The harder and longer Snape fought to protect him, the more he became attached to his student. 

Harry finally noticed his teacher's absence at his side and stopped to wait for him. Snape hurried forward, having decided it unsafe to stop, "What are you waiting for, Potter? Keep going. We don't have time to-"

Snape stopped short as he watched Potter's eyes widen and his mouth drop open in an expression of shocked fear.

"MOVE," Snape shouted as he grabbed Harry and darted towards a clear piece of stone wall. He realized his instincts had been correct as he finally turned to see a claw clap down on the stone labyrinth, breaking it and sending debris flying.

Snape pulled out his wand and stepped in front of Harry, and out of the way of its next attempt to hit him. The wall crumbled under its fist and fell in an obscuring dust cloud that, combined with the dust from the first crash, flew into Snape's mouth and nose, choking him. 

"Professor," Harry called, obviously as blinded as Snape, though not as choked. Snape was thankful for that and pushed aside all his lingering sadness at the reminder of Harry's condition and his concern for the boy to raise his wand to his face and choke out a spell. 

Immediately, a mask shot out from his wand, covering his nose and mouth to filter out the dust in the air. After a moment, Snape began to catch his breath and, just as a clawed hand-like paw reached out to grab him he screamed, "Avada Kedavra!"

The creature screamed as it died, being too magic bound for the curse to have an immediate effect. Snape smiled in triumph as he heard it thump to the ruined labyrinth floor. He turned to find Harry and did, but only because of the flashing that gave away his position.

Snape cursed and rushed toward the flashing, "Harry!"

"Professor," Harry called as he came into view. His eyes were wide and he seemed to be calling for Snape out of instinct as his eyes were unfocused and glowed eerily a steady dim, almost non-existent, glow. Harry closed them just as Snape reached him and reached out to grasp his arm. 

His hand closed on nothing as Harry blinked out of existence.

"Harry..." Snape said, stunned. "Harry!"

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Albus Dumbledore, Sirius Black, Poppy Pomfrey, Remus Lupin and Mr and Mrs Weasley all stood around Harry's bed. Their faces were grim and tired, drawn back to look pale and gaunt. Their eyes held defeat and, for most of them, despairing tears that they refused to allow fall.

"I can't believe..." Lupin said in a quiet, sad voice.

"...it didn't work..." Sirius finished for him in an identical voice after a moment. He winced as Mrs Weasley finally gave into her sorrow and screamed out a sob.

Dumbledore stepped up to Harry and began waving his wand over the silent boy, whispering quick spells in a determined, though tired, voice. The rest watched in silence broken only by Mrs Weasley's continued sobs. 

Mr Weasley hugged his wife to him in an effort to comfort her and Mrs Weasley turned her face into his chest as hugged herself as close to him as she could manage. A tear leaked out of her husband's eye as her tears pierced both his robes and his heart. He hoped Harry would survive, for everyone's sake, not the least of which was Harry's own.

Finally, after what seemed an eternity, Dumbledore straightened, his face somber and his blue eyes grave. 

"He's alive, but barely," he said in a voice that spoke of an anguish no one in the room could ever hope of knowing. "His condition has worsened, but something is holding him to our world. We can only hope and pray that what ever it is that holds him to us will be enough to return him to us."

As Dumbledore's words vanished into where ever words vanish into when they have been spoken, the five stood and stared in horror at his words. Even Mrs Weasley looked up at him, her sobbing momentarily suspended. Then Sirius sunk to the floor, his face hidden in his hands, his shoulders quaking violently.

He seemed to break whatever spell held them all as Dumbledore and Madame Pomfrey stepped closer to each other and began to whisper fervently. Lupin knelt next to his friend as pulled him into his arms to try and calm him with soft words of assurance Lupin only wished he could bring himself to believe. 

Mrs Weasley looked up hopefully into her husband's sad wet eyes, "That means he'll be ok, doesn't it, Arthur? He'll come back to us then, won't he?"

Mr Weasley sighed and pulled her back to him before whispering so softly only she could hear, "I hope so, Molly. I hope so." 

  
  


Next Chapter: He Worries Over Its Silence


	7. He Worries Over Its Silence

Hey all! Sorry this took such a long time, but it contains a dream sequence which is pretty long and it took me awhile to get it straight in my head. Can any one guess what it all means? Everything in the dream represents what has happened, will happen, or a person. Who can get it right??

Sorry, but my updates probably won't be as regular as before. Too much to get done. I will get them out pretty quickly though. I promise. Sorry!!

Enjoy!

  
  


Snape sat against the demolished Labyrinth wall, not noticing as it magically repaired itself. He stared, unseeing, at the last place he had seen Harry. He thought of the last four years, of all the times he had thought he would lose the boy. He thought of all the effort he had gone through to ensure he wouldn't. He thought of all the crazy luck the boy had had to get into and back out of trouble alive.

Mischievous green eyes danced in front of his eyes and windswept black hair bounced around a pale smiling face. He wondered where and how a student had managed to make it past his shields; a Gryffindor student named Harry Potter, no less! He wondered how drab his life would become without at least the knowledge that Harry was out there safe somewhere, even if he wasn't currently sitting frightened and cowed in Potions class. 

Snape shook his head, not noticing the small rat that crept towards, careful to remain in the shadows. He was too busy picturing Harry's funeral and wondering if he could be there for it.

His mind revolted and his chest squeezed painfully, drawing a loud gasping from him. He couldn't be dead. He couldn't be. He was alive. Somehow Harry Potter would survive even this.

"I don't care who your father was," Snape whispered to the voice that reminded him what Harry's true parentage was. "James Potter is dead. He hasn't seen you grow up. He hasn't protected you. I have. And I'll find you, somehow."

Finally Snape stood and looked at the chaos that was left of the maze corridor. He straightened his back and began to pick his way through the rubble to continue on his way, wishing as he went that he could shake that little niggling doubt that lingered in his heart -- right next to the fragile star of hope. 

A faint hope shone in Snape's heart, the first in a very long time. He would find survive this and he would find Harry. Voldemort could not take this, at least, from him. 

A small figure crept in its rat form after him, though hesitantly. He had a lot to think about and little rats just couldn't think too quickly...

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It was a clear autumn day. The sun was shining as a few stray fat cirrus clouds drifted across the light blue sky. A light breeze sent rainbow swirls flying past as leaves fell from the trees. 

Harry stood amazed. 'Wasn't it just the middle of summer,' he thought as he glanced over the meadow in which he now stood. 'And wasn't I just in a labyrinth with Snape?"

At the thought of Snape, Harry spun quickly around, calling, "Professor!" A panic had welled up in him at the memory of just why Snape had left his side. Frantically, he began search so some sign of the dark, forbidding figure of his professor. 

The panic began to overwhelm him as he search and the air itself seemed to suffocate him. Harry tried to calm himself, but his chest continued to tighten painfully and his breath came in agonized gasps. Harry fell to his knees, sure that if he only called out one more time Snape would hear him, but he had breath enough only to fall to his knees. From there he fell onto his side and curled up, praying for it to end. Harry squeezed his eyes shut and concentrated on continuing to breathe.

When he opened his eyes again, it was a clear starry night with the brightest waxing moon Harry had ever seen. He stared at it, his eyes a bit pained by its bright light, as a lingering cirrus cloud drifted over to partially cover it. He finally looked away from it and his eyes landed on the constellation Taurus. He was immediately reminded of drawing star charts the past year with Ron for Divinations and then of his current circumstance.

"Is this Heaven," Harry asked aloud to himself. He reached over with one hand and pinched his other arm. 

"No, I don't think it's Heaven..." Harry said with a flinch. He surveyed his skin curiously as he dimly recalled that pinching himself was supposed to hurt a lot more, and feel less like the sensation one would get in a foot that was asleep. 

"Maybe I'm dreaming," Harry said to himself. "Yeah, that must be it. I'm dreaming this and that's why it's all so strange."

Satisfied with this explanation, Harry stood and brushed the loose blades of grass from his cloak. Noticing the cloak, Harry smiled and nodded his head, sure that he had found the right explanation. 

Harry turned and began to walk. He didn't know where he was going, but he knew that he'd get there eventually. He walked for what seemed to be only minutes and yet somehow he knew that a much longer period of time was passing. The sky began to grow dark and clouds soon rushed in to plunge Harry in darkness.

From behind him, Harry could feel a dark, malicious presence. He felt that it was chasing him, that if it caught him he'd be dead. Harry began to run, tripping over the uneven ground. He willed himself to an even greater speed, though, as he felt the thing behind him gain. Soon he could hear its breath as it breathed and its feet as they too pounded the earth. 

Harry screamed for help and looked back over his shoulder. Only darkness met his gaze and he turned back to concentrate on his running. He could feel long, inhumanly smooth fingers begin to grasp and pull at his billowing cloak and screamed again. 

Up ahead, he heard an answering howl and then a huge dog and a large wolf appeared ahead of him. They matched each other's strides head for head as they ran towards him and Harry knew that they would help him. 

The thing behind him chuckled, "They will not be in time, MY boy." 

Harry screamed and the dog stopped its advance. The wolf kept running, though, and with a fierce growl it leapt at the creature that now held Harry in its grip. 

Harry felt the creature's long hands grasp him painfully as the wolf wrestled it for him. It was painful, but the wolf finally managed to pull it away from Harry and drag it away to a mountain cave that Harry was sure hadn't been there before. The wolf tossed the creature in and rolled a stone in front of the opening, ensuring its quarry would not attempt escape. Harry could still feel it howl, however, and the howls seemed to ignite his blood.

He looked down at his arms and chest and could see huge gashes that were oozing blood. He tried to stop it, but the more Harry attempted to stop his blood, the more it bled until finally Harry was too weak care anymore. And then something remarkable happened; a snake formed from the blood that was dripping down his body. 

The snake, a beautiful green and silver creature, wrapped itself around Harry before slithering slowly away to lay coiled at the foot of a tree. Lightning flashed and Harry was startled to see that the snake was hurt. It hadn't been hurt when it was formed, Harry was sure of that.

Thunder rocked the ground beneath him and another flash of lightning lit up the earth around him. Harry saw himself with widened eyes as he glance back down to keep his footing. He was healed. All the blood had seemingly disappeared. 

"What," Harry gasped, his voice drowned out by another break of thunder. 

A soft chuckle, somehow louder than the thunder had been, danced to Harry on the rising wind. He searched the area in the next flash of lightning but found nothing. A flutter of wings announced the arrival of a large bird and Harry finally glanced above him.

  
  


A phoenix flew above him with wide wings and an even longer golden tail. It circled overhead a few times before flying back to land on the wolf's shoulder. There it began to sing. The storm died down immediately, the thunder vanishing from the air almost instantaneously, though the creature's howls could still be heard. 

"You have been given a choice, young one," the phoenix told Harry finally. "How you choose may well decide everything, so choose well. As you can hear, death still wants you and he will be a fierce foe for you to fight back."

"I - I don't understand," Harry said uncertainly. 

"Yes, you do, my boy," the phoenix told him. "But I will make it perhaps a bit clearer. This wolf is all that keeps that death at bay for now. That dog is the path back to your body and back to your friends and safety. The snake is the way back to Professor Snape."

The phoenix paused for a moment and waited for Harry to think a minute.

"So I must choose whether I live or die," Harry asked.

"In a way," the phoenix replied. "Death would be a very good path to choose. There will be no more pain or fighting there for you. The dog is another good path. There you will find everything you hold dear in this life. The snake is the riskiest option. If you return to Professor Snape you will continue as you were and be in just in much danger of dying. Only the next time, you may not come here. You will go to the place with the strongest pull."

Harry listened to the howling of Death and shivered. No, he would not like to go there.

He looked at the dog and smiled as he thought of his friends and Sirius. They were all the family he had and he did not want them to be worried for him any longer than necessary. 

Now he looked at the snake and felt fear creep its way up his spine. He didn't want to leave Snape, he was just getting to know him. Harry was fascinated by the kinder side of his cruelest teacher and wanted to understand just exactly why Snape treated him as he did. Harry knew by now that Snape felt something for him, something he didn't want to admit to. Harry'd always missed not having the love he should have had growing up and so he instinctively knew that he could find perhaps some of that love with Snape now, if he only he could weather the storm finding it would stir up. Unfortunately, he also knew that that storm itself could destroy them both, if Voldemort didn't get there first. 

And then there was the memory of his existing in limbo. That had been an experience Harry was not in a hurry to repeat. He'd felt so helpless that way. He couldn't touch, do magic, HELP Snape in anyway. What good would he be like that? Wouldn't he just get Snape killed that way?

"Hurry and choose," the phoenix told Harry. "The doorways are closing and soon you will have no choice.

As Harry watched in horrified disbelief, the dog began to trot away and the snake began to slowly climb the tree it had lain under.

"No," Harry cried, quickly making a decision. "Wait!"

  
  


Next Chapter: Searching Once More for Its Sound


	8. Searching for Its Sound Again

At long last! Chapter 8!! I'm so so very sorry this took so long to get out! I just finished up finals and then I had things to do immediately for my study abroad trip to Japan in June, so I didn't even have time to review!!! But I was still reading!! Will eventually get to reviewing people again.... When my brain gets back in motion enough to process what's been read.

Anyway... This chapter turned out a bit different than planned. It's very emotional. For the characters at least. Poor things... Anyway! No one really guessed what was what in the last chapter! Was disappointed, but ok with it. 

Please excuse any spelling or grammar mistakes. Another reason this took so long is that I'm on my dad's computer which has a keyboard with a bad attitude. We hate each other. With a passion... I tried to fix the mistakes, but...

Enjoy!!!

  
  


Snape trudged along the maze corridor, his shoulders slumped and his face long. He wasn't aware of the amount of time that had passed since he had arrived, but he was quickly finding he no longer cared. He was tired, sore, wounded, hungry and long past thirsty. And the night still didn't show any signs of planning to end soon.

He stopped and leaned against the plant-covered stone wall, running a hand over his face and through his hair. His thoughts, already dark and despairing, turned to Harry once more. He'd never admit it, but he missed that boy. He shook himself to try to dispel the feeling of anguish and panic that seemed to seep up from his stomach and take hold of his heart with an iron grip.

What if the boy was truly dead? What if he'd broken the link in his fighting before he'd ever said word to Harry of his regret for his treatment of Harry? What if he'd lost one of the brightest students he'd had in years, the brightest possibly being (as much as he hated to admit it) Hermione? Why didn't he do more to protect the boy? He should have fought to keep the boy at school once he had him there, rather than fought to send him home to his "loving family."

Snape snorted at the thought of Harry's family as loving, anger clearing his mind of the anguish. A loving family wouldn't have locked the boy in a makeshift cell. A truly loving family would have asked after all the members of their family. Instead, they had disowned any relation to the boy, going so far as to say that the world was better off without "the freak." In Snape's opinion, they were the ones the world was better left without.

But then, their reaction only proved what a cold-hearted cretin he was. He always took it for granted that Harry was a wizard celebrity, the one to have saved them all from Voldemort's first reign of terror, he never thought it could be any different anywhere else. Unfortunately, it was and he had been so busy hating the Boy-Who-Lived that he had never seen how he had actually lived. Now it might be to late to change.

Snape sighed again and pushed off from the wall. He truly hoped he would get a second chance with Harry. He didn't know if he'd do any better this time, but he wanted to try. He doubted he'd get the chance though. He'd already had all his second chances this life, he doubted he was entitled to yet another.

But he still missed Harry, especially when these corridors grew as dark as they were. Everyone needs some light, even if they don't fully appreciate it.

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He laid there so pale, so silent. Where was the life he remembered? The determined sparkle of curious youth that used to brighten the emerald green orbs he had for eyes? It was all hidden behind closed lashes and still flesh, perhaps forever.

Sirius sighed as he brushed a strand of hair from Harry's face. He listened as footsteps clacked over to him, their step rhythmic and even, Remus's. 

"Any change," Remus asked, his voice low and sad .

"No," Sirius told him, still not moving to look at him. "None."

Sirius jumped as he felt Remus's hand on his shoulder, but he still never glanced away from Harry's face. The hand gripped him tightly, as though trying to impart some of its deceptive strength.

"He's going to be alright," Remus told Sirius, sounding as though he were trying to convince himself as well. Remus ignored Sirius's snort and continued, "Dumbledore thinks he's found a way to strengthen the spell. He hopes to try again in a few hours. Maybe it'll work this time."

Sirius managed a nod, a slight bending and straightening of his neck, "I hope so."

"He will," Remus told Sirius, before his tell-tale steps took him over to a chair by the door.

Sirius brushed the stubborn, wayward lock of Harry's hair from his face. He watched the pale eyelids, hoping to see them flutter, even just a little bit. He picked up Harry's hand and held it tightly, before releasing it.

"Maybe..." Sirius said walking over to stand next to Remus, never looking up from the floor. "Maybe it would be kinder to just let him go."

Remus gasped, "Sirius! How..."

"It's true," Sirius continued calmly. "Who does he have here? No family, a godfather who might as be dead... And a madman who wants him dead."

"Sirius..." Remus said, disbelief evident in his voice. "You can't be serious! HE knows you love him and want to be with him! And he has the Weasley's! He was happy-"

"Happy," Sirius finally exclaimed, finally looking up at his old friend. His eyes were dark pools of unending sorrow and his face was pale and drawn with grief. "He was never happy with the Dursley's! And You-Know-Who might've taken the happiness he found in the wizarding world when he kidnapped him last term!"

Sirius took a breath, looking regretful at his friend's horror-filled face.

"As much as miss him and want him to just come back to me, to us, it might be better if he just slipped away quietly," Sirius told Remus, a tear rolling down his cheek and falling to soak into his robes. "The Dark Lord would never give him a chance to die so peacefully. This may be his last chance to simply rest in peace."

"Sirius..." Remus said, his heart breaking as the man before him gave into a sob. 

Sirius dropped his head back down again and fought to contain his emotions again, but they would not be denied any longer. He gave up and raced out of the hospital ward, not even hearing Remus's desperate calls behind him.

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Harry grabbed it by the tail and soon wished he hadn't. The snake squirmed in his hands, attempting to free itself and hissing incomprehensibly.

"I'm sorry," Harry hissed at it, "but I need to help Snape and you're my only way back to him."

"Am I," questioned the snake, granting Harry a glare that was amazingly like Snape's own. "And why exactly would you want to help such a foul creature?"

"That's what the phoenix said," Harry answered. "And he's not foul. He's just...just..."

"Just...Just..." the snake replied sarcastically, "Just what? Misunderstood?"

"Yes," Harry told it, his eyes narrowing. "He's been misunderstood by everyone, except Dumbledore, I think."

The snake gave a hissing laugh, "We are all misunderstood somehow, child. Pain hides in the most unsuspected places. He does not need your pity, not when you have reason to be pitied as well."

"I don't pity him," Harry snapped. "And I don't need anyone's pity!"

"No," questioned the snake slyly. "You who have lived in a broom closet under the stairs all your life? You have no family, no true home? You whose friends and loved ones envy your fame and hope to gain a little of it by association?"

"That's not true," Harry told it, squeezing his eyes shut. "I'm loved..."

"Is that why you were being left to death," the snake asked. "We animals would not leave if our human counterparts were not leaving as well."

"They probably...probably think I'm dead or something," Harry whimpered. 

"Are you sure," asked the snake, sensing victory.

A tear dripped out of Harry's eyes before the wet emeralds opened once more in determination, "There's only one way to find out. Take me back to Snape!"

The snake hissed in anger before twisting to bear its dripping fangs and bite deeply into Harry's arm. Harry screamed as darkness began to engulf him.

This time, though, the darkness was not complete. He could FEEL Snape and he could FEEL two more presences and knew that Snape was in mortal danger. Fear sliced through him as the darkness was finally completed and a phoenix smiled in a world of dreams.

  
  


Next Chapter: Lost in the Darkness


	9. Lost in the Darkness

Sorry this chapter took so long. I was distracted and kinda lost my story thread for this... But I found it again. :o

The Poem in this is mine and is called, "The Prayer of the Lost." Steal and die.

The cliffhanger in this is dedicated to Ankha. I made it as cruel as possible just for her. ;o

And now... a moment of silence for those lost in battle of any and all types. 

Please review, it gives me a great thrill. Thanks!

Enjoy! Even if you don't review...

Dumbledore slowly stepped from the shadows as he watched Remus Lupin disappear from the room after his friend. He shook his head sadly, wondering where everything had gone wrong. Wasn't it just yesterday that there was no Voldemort, let alone a Dark Lord the wizarding community feared enough to avoid so much as his name? 

Dumbledore sat on Harry's bed and smoothed back Harry's hair before running a hand through his own long white beard. He felt very old and extremely decrepit as he silently regarded Harry, but these feelings were slight when compared to his guilt and remorse. He couldn't help but feel that Severus was correct when he said he had placed too much responsibility on young Harry's shoulders. It wasn't fair to the poor boy to have to live this way - to have to die this way.

Dumbledore remembered being young once too. He had enjoyed it a great deal, flirting with the girls, playing Quidditch with his friends. Back then, men were meant to be gentlemen and everyone was supposed to be an adult no matter their actual age. No one would have thought twice of Harry fighting alongside the adult wizards, he would have simply been given consideration for being so young and inexperienced. Now Dumbledore was ridiculed for allowing Harry his role and Harry was given a taste of how his life might be without the darkness that threatened his world. Dumbledore had to feel sorry for the boy that he had a taste of a child's life, but could never truly achieve it and regret that he had to allow Harry to place himself in harm's way.

If he could, Dumbledore knew he would give Harry a much simpler existence. Life with someone who cared for him and the only dangerous mystery being how to explore the Forbidden Forest without being discovered by Filch. That was the life Harry wanted and the life Dumbledore didn't know if he could grant. 

But there is a chance, Dumbledore tried reminding himself. Severus has finally let himself feel something besides dislike for the boy. Perhaps he will care for Harry when he returns until school starts up again. It would be good for them both to have the other to depend on. They were so much alike. And Severus had protected Harry for so long already, surely it would be a pleasant situation for both if they were to have one another to lean on. 

Even then, though, Harry wouldn't be a normal boy of today. Not even allowing Severus full range in his protectiveness could shield the child now. Voldemort had succeeded in taking what chance at a normal childhood of today Harry had had and destroyed. No matter the ridicule, Harry was intricately involved in the war that was coming, that had already begun. 

Dumbledore smoothed Harry's stubbornly unruly hair back, "I'm sorry, Harry. I wish I could make it so this world had no war. Make it so that I didn't have to steer you into danger, that I didn't have to treat you like a child of my day. I wish I could give you dreams that held no fear.."

Harry didn't answer, he simply laid there, pale, thin and silent.

"Please wake up, my boy. There are many who want to see you again," Dumbledore continued in a soft voice. "We can't give you a normal childhood, but we do care for you. Sirius is mad with worry and I have never seen Professor McGonagall so beside herself with worry."

Dumbledore's gentle pleading had no effect and he sighed as he realized that he had hoped there might be one. Perhaps Sirius had been right. Perhaps Harry was better off sleeping forever. Voldemort could not hurt him then. He would finally be safe, maybe even free to be a child again.

  
  
  
  


"I'm lost in darkness

My secrets irrelevant

My worries forgotten

My cares flown away

  
  


I'm found in memory

You carry me in your heart

You keep me in your mind

You know I remain in joy"

  
  
  
  


Dumbledore whispered The Prayer of the Lost to himself before rising and turning to follow Sirius and Remus, hoping to help comfort someone who was still among the waking living. Just as he reached the door, he heard a voice cry, "Snape!"

Dumbledore whirled at the sound of Harry's voice and rushed to his side, catching him just as he jerked and began to tumble from the bed.

***********************************************************************

  
  


Harry opened his eyes to nothingness and jerked back in surprise, his body shivering uncontrollably. He was floating in a bright nothingness where only light and he existed for as far as he could see. Confusion flooded his body as he looked desperately around him.

"But-" he said softly, "I thought I was supposed to be sent to Snape?"

"You will be," answered a familiar hissing voice, sending Harry tumbling end over end into the nothingness. "I just thought you'd like to reconsider your decision. I can't send you to the others, but I can give you a peaceful death..."

Harry turned to glare at the snake, before turning to survey the landscape again, "How do I get to Professor Snape?"

"Why would you want to," asked the snake. "Nothing awaits you there. Or in life. Voldemort will always chase you, he will always want you dead. Perhaps, one day, he will succeed in the endeavor. Everyone waits for it to happen. No one expects you to survive a second time, after all."

Harry snorted in cynical disbelief, "Of course they do. I'm Harry Potter, the boy who lived. I'm their hero. None of them would ever think of remembering I'm only 15."

"Ah...." replied the snake with an eerily sly grin, "But they do..."

Then the snake's mouth moved, but from it issued not it's own voice, but the voices of Sirius and Dumbledore.

  
  


"Maybe...Maybe it would be kinder to just let him go..."

"I'm lost in darkness... I'm found in memory..." 

"That last was part of the Prayer of the Lost, an ancient poem. Dumbledore was quoting it about you. I, personally, think he was saying good-bye," the snake told Harry, his black scales glistening.

Harry shook his head. It couldn't be true. Dumbledore, Sirius wouldn't let him go like this. Sirius at least loved him enough to wait for him, to want him to come back.

'Why should he,' something inside Harry whispered sullenly, 'You let Wormtail escape. If not for your foolishness, Voldemort would still be a vengeful wraith. They want rid of you. You're nothing but bad luck! It was because of you your parents died!'

"No..." whispered Harry back, shaking his head in denial, tears dripping from his squinched eyelids.

"Yes..." whispered back the snake, evil joy tinging its voice.

'Snape knew it from the beginning. That's why he hated you. He knew you'd get him killed. And you've finally done it.'

"No..." Harry cried softly. He opened his eyes to see the snake wrapped around a hole in the emptiness. The hole showed Snape as he trudged down an ivy-covered stone corridor.

Snape looked old as he walked along, his face was paler than normal, his hands shook with fatigue and his stumbled slightly with each step. His robes were torn and tattered, blood that Harry couldn't tell if it was Snape's or not spotted them generously in places. He held one of his wrists as though it pained him and his face reflected hopelessness.

"Professor..." Harry breathed, stunned. He had never thought his cruel, icy teacher could be beaten so badly. He had always seemed so strong, almost invincible. 

A movement at the back of the area caught Harry's eye and he gasped as he realized it to be one of the many dark creatures the labyrinth held. All fear and self-pity were shoved aside as panic and a sense of urgency overtook him.

Harry made a fumbling leap for the picture, "Snape!" He screamed in misery as he scrambled to make it to his teacher in time.

"Send me to Snape! Do your job! Send me to Snape!"

"But you can do nothing," the snake hissed. "You are helpless."

Harry ignored the snake and screamed, "Snape!"

***********************************************************************

  
  


Harry continued to jump and jerk on the bed for what seemed like eternity to Dumbledore. The child was as active now as he had been inactive before and Dumbledore was unsure how much longer he could hold him.

Suddenly Harry stopped. He laid still, though his eyes under their lids continued to move. Tears continued to roll from his eyes and Dumbledore wondered when they had started.

"Harry, wake up! Come back to us now," Dumbledore called to him desperately.

"What," asked Madame Pomfrey as she ran into the room, looking very frazzled. "What's happened?"

  
  


"He started to have something like a seizure and called for Severus," Dumbledore said as he began to gently slap his hand, hoping to stimulate him back awake.

Madame Pomfrey came around to the other side of the bed and began to examine Harry, her expert hands and wands quickly moving over him. 

"The spell still holds him," she said. "I've never seen anything like this. He might be connected to Severus now because of the spell he used."

"Is the spell weakening," Dumbledore asked as Harry seemed to writhe in sudden pain. 

"No, I think it's becoming stronger," Pomfrey said, her eyes wide.

A bruise began to form over Harry's right eye and cheekbone before he went completely still. Dumbledore and Madame Pomfrey both stilled in surprise. 

"Is he breathing," Madame Pomfrey asked as she reached for his wrist to check for a pulse. 

Dumbledore reached out to feel for a any breath when he couldn't detect any movement of Harry's chest.

"No..." he moaned, quickly whipping out his wand and desperately beginning to wave it over Harry's still body.

Next Chapter: He Tries to Keep His Life


	10. He Tries to Keep His Life

Well, here's Chapter 10. I realized when writing this that the original plan I had for this story is morphing, so while I'm going to try to keep it at the 16 chapters I planned for, there might be more. Hurt anyone's feelings with that? :o Anyway, I tried to put in a little more action into this chapter, but that just ended with my ending up with an even more cruel cliffhanger than last chapter. Sorry. So what do you think of it?

Remember, ENJOY!

  
  


"Snape!"

Snape stilled in surprise at the familiar cry. A shiver of recognition and fear at its terror ran up his spine and twisted his insides into a painful knot. He looked wildly around for its source, but couldn't see him.

"Harry," he cried as he whirled around finally, hoping beyond hope that he would find Harry there. To his horror, the only thing he found behind him was a very large dark creature that looked like a spider. Snape knew he knew what the creature was, but in his weakened state, he couldn't remember it.

"No..." he moaned, his aching, weary body warning him of its immanent collapse once more. "Not another one. Will this infernal maze never end?"

The spider reared and jumped for Snape, its pincers opening wide as it screamed its hunger. Snape tried to leap to the side, but his body was too tired. He collapsed finally onto the ground, hitting it with an "Oof!" as he laid out beneath the attacking beast.

"No," came a scream, louder than before and much more terror filled. A bright body shot into Snape's line of sight and hit the creature, bouncing off and hitting the wall opposite it. The creature slammed into the other wall and slid to the ground, stunned.

Snape twisted and pointed his wand at it, aiming for its soft underside as he called, "Avada Kedavra!" The creature seemed to finish collapsing as the green light hit it and Snape turned back to his rescuer.

"Harry," he called, panic rising in him as he noted Harry's lifeless stillness. "Harry... no...wake up..."

Snape's voice croaked, but he hardly noticed as he crawled over to Harry's body. He gathered the boy to him and rested back against the wall, waiting for Harry to awake and refusing to believe that he might not.

***********************************************************************

Pomfrey put out the word magically round the castle that he spell was to be performed early. The Weasley's arrived first, followed by McGonagall, Hermione and Ron, who were to be allowed to participate this time to lend power to the spell. Sirius and Remus arrived last, Sirius looking very anguished still with a red, puffy face and pale, drawn skin. Remus looked better, but his eyes held an accompanying sadness that enticed anyone who saw the two men to have an inexplicable urge to break into tears.

"Hurry," Dumbledore told them once they'd all gathered. "If we want to save Harry's life, we need to recast the spell now."

"What's happened," Mrs Weasley and Sirius asked simultaneously. 

"Places, please. We haven't the time to explain now," Dumbledore said impatiently as Mr Weasley blinked at his wife and the escaped convict.

Everyone moved quickly into place, tension making it seem as though they might all have a mass heart attack at any moment. Dumbledore nodded and cast an immobilizing spell on Harry before taking his place as well.

"Think it'll work," Ron whispered to Hermione as they clasped hands to begin.

"I hope so," she whispered back anxiously. "I don't think Harry will survive if it doesn't this time."

She heard Sirius curse colorfully beside her and immediately regretted her words. "I'm sure we'll succeed, Sirius," she told him.

Sirius nodded, but it was clear to her and Ron that he didn't really believe her. Hermione sighed and brought her attention back to the ceremony that was just starting, the hope that she hadn't lied stirring desperately in her heart.

***********************************************************************

Harry opened his eyes to see a distraught Professor Snape clutching him tightly to his chest. Snape seemed to be sleeping fitfully, but as soon as Harry wriggled to escape his vise-like grip on the boy.

"Harry," Snape croaked as he struggled to straighten from his previous position. 

"Professor, you're ok," Harry said, a bit surprised. He'd been sure he would be too late to save the professor. 

"Of course, I'm ok," Snape snapped. "And why did you do that? That was foolish! You could have finished yourself off, boy!"

Harry winced at the professor's tone and volume, the voice hurt his head and the tone hurt his heart. He disliked hearing the Professor speak to him like this. It made it seem as though he'd been wrong to try and save Snape, but what else could he have done? 

"I'm sorry, but-"

"But? But what, Potter? You wanted to play the hero yet again," Snape sneered, though his hold on Harry seemed to tighten somewhat.

"No! I wanted to help you," Harry protested. "I wanted you to live and make it back to Hogwarts!"

Snape looked startled and looked away from Harry, his face tight and his dark eyes sparkling like black pearls. He opened his mouth as though he were about to say something when Harry gasped and pain shot through his arm.

"No," Snape moaned as he stumbled painfully to his feet. "Hold on, Harry. I'll get us to safety."

"P-pro-professor," Harry stuttered through the pain, "p-please, make- make it back alive. Please..."

"We're almost at the center, Harry, almost there. Just hold on and we'll be safe," Snape told the shining boy in his arms. "We're going back together."

Snape moved as quickly as he could down the last corridor and turned into the center of the maze. It was large and green, flowers and shrubs decorating it's green lawn, making it as beautiful as the labyrinth was dark. Relief spread through Snape as he saw itand he stumbled to its center where he slid down to sit with Harry in his lap.

"We made it, Harry," he said breathlessly. "We're going to survive, Harry. You're going to live!"

Snape turned what must have been the first happy smile down on Harry that he had smiled in years. But it disappeared at the sight his eyes beheld in his lap. 

Harry's light had grown dim and was now flickering slightly. His eyes were closed and his his mouth hung open in an unconscious effort to breathe. Snape's heart almost stopped at the sight and tears pricked his eyes as the horrible realization hit him that he'd been too late.

  
  


"No," he breathed, "not now. Not now! We were so close! Wake up Harry wake up!" Snape shook Harry in a desperate effort to bring him back.

Harry finally stirred with a groan and gazed up at Snape with half-lidded eyes. His eyes green eyes seemed to sparkle with resolve and resignation. Snape sadly brushed back some wayward strands of hair from Harry's eyes.

"P-professor..." Harry breathed softly.

"Shhh..." Snape told him. "Be quiet and save your strength. I expect to see you in my class come the start of term."

Harry smiled weakly, "Live. Professor Snape, please, Live."

"No," snape said as Harry's eyes closed and he disappeared. "You're the one that's supposed to live! You! I'm not worthy of you foolish sympathy!"

"Don't worry," said a high cold voice from behind Snape. "It doesn't matter. You'll be joining him soon now, Snape."

A shiver of fear danced up Snape's body as he turned to face the man he feared most, Lord Voldemort.

  
  


Next Chapter: He Never Understands the Truth 


	11. He Never Understood the Truth

::Stops chasing Lycoris with her Death Eater flags long enough to turn and face her audience::

Hello again! Here is Chapter 11. Slightly longer than the others and the cliffhanger isn't nearly as bad, I think. It's very memory oriented, though, not sure how that happened. 

I go to Japan on Thursday until July 8, but I'll try to update while I'm there. Not sure if I'll be able to, so after Thursday, just check here periodically. Unless I email you with updates, then I'll email you as usual. 

Athis and Aeris Gainsborough: Not sure what to say to you... Interesting review and, since I think you enjoyed the story, I'm glad you enjoyed. 

Ankha: Get back to writing, or I'll make my next chapter end with the mother of all cliffhangers! ::grins evilly:: I can use the practice, y'know... Am trying to see if I can't talk some nice Sci-fi mag into letting me do a serial... ::stares dreamily off into space::

Anyway! ::Calls for a beautiful unicorn with a bright red mane and tail, glistening pearlescent coat and a golden horn to match golden hooves before hopping on the unicorn's back and resumes chasing Lycoris::

Enjoy!

  
  
  
  


Snape stared up at the dark imposing figure of Lord Voldemort and felt...nothing. His heart seemed to have become an empty void that could not even be categorized as dark. His eyes were blank dark voids, his face a physical representation of what now existed inside him, but they were the only characteristics present of the void that now grew to encompass him, body, mind and soul.

Voldemort, on the other hand, stood with an evil smile stretching the serpent-like features of his face. He'd caught a rat that wasn't Wormtail and gotten rid of Harry Potter. It was the best night of his life and he planned to enjoy it to its conclusion. 

"So," Voldemort all but drawled in a voice Snape recognized the one that promised all within hearing range were destined for a lengthy, painful death. "I've caught the traitor in my midst. Not only that, but I've caught him crying over the dead Harry Potter. Life this time around is sweet to me, wouldn't you say, Severus Snape?"

Snape simply looked on his old master with unseeing eyes. For a moment Voldemort was afraid that Snape had died as well and he growled deep in his throat at the thought of someone else escaping him.

"Have you joined your student, Traitor," Voldemort asked coldly, anger lowering his voice even more dangerously than before.

Snape didn't answer, simply continued to stare into nothingness. He seemed for all the world to be nothing much a lifeless shell.

Voldemort gave a high pitched scream and pointed his wand at Snape, "Crucio!"

Snape fell over, something finally visible on his pale, sallow face - pain. Pain forced him to writhe on the floor, his body instinctively attempting to protecting by curling into a fetal position. His face contorted in agony and his already torn robes tearing further against the stone floor. His mouth flopped open in a silent scream, but no sound but the slight ripping of cloth made itself known from him.

Finally, after a minute of the torture, life snapped back into Snape's eyes and with it: the memories. He saw Harry as a small first year, once again laughing and plotting to outwit both him and Voldemort. He saw Harry flopping around on his cursed broomstick as it flailed uncontrollably about the Quidditch field. 

He saw him as a scrawny 12 year old, calling out to a snake to not hurt his classmate. He saw him attempting to look innocent as he caused chaos in his class. He remembered the pain in the boy's eyes as his classmates turned on him in favor of a juicy rumor. 

He saw him, thirteen years old and bravely ignorant of the past. He watched him again as he defended his father with the passion only a innocent child could muster. His heart tightened again (or maybe that was the curse) at the knowledge that Sirius Black had almost killed, had been only a bed away from it. He panicked once more as he saw that Harry was with both the treacherous werewolf and Sirius. He grew angry as the boy once again outwitted him and denied him the proper reward his efforts to protect him deserved.

He felt fear as he knew that Harry would be a Tri-wizard Champion and risk his life where he, Snape could not protect him. He grinned with pride and sighed in frustration as he realized that Harry had used gillyweed to compete in the second task. He sighed once more at the boy's soft-hearted foolishness to make sure all the contestants returned unharmed, nearly costing himself the task and tournament. He gasped in horror at the knowledge that Harry had nearly died many times during the year as he simply walked down the halls of the supposed safest place in the world. He saw him, a shaken wreck as he dealt with his near-fatal battle with Voldemort after his return to a body and with the knowledge that someone was dead because of the madman's obsession with him. 

All the while, Snape did not make a sound. He allowed the memories to bombard him, pride for the boy's accomplishments and fear for his life returning full force. And he never once compared him with his father, he saw only Harry, a boy who looked much like another Snape had once longed to befriend and then longed to be rid of. 

He had not always hated Harry's father, once he'd dared to believe they could be friends, if only James and the others would give him a chance. But they never did. His scalp's natural inclination to over-oil his hair and his cold nature and placement, not to mention the 'friends' he already had, prevented that. He was Slytherin, they were Gryffindor. It was never meant to be.

That was what Snape saw now, the son of a man he'd secretly admired and longed to be like, no longer the son of the man he'd hated. It changed Harry immeasurably and suddenly Snape hated his sarcastic, arrogant personality and wished he could turn back time. He wished he could bring Harry back, if only to apologize for not understanding, both himself and what things should be like. He wished he could have befriended both the boys that had come to Hogwarts as scrawny, awkward, but brave eleven year olds and won his admiration. 

"Have you anything to say now, my silent fool," Voldemort asked him, his voice once more high with sadistic pleasure.

Snape looked up at Voldemort, the pain receding somewhat without the spell to fuel it. He felt no fear and somewhere in his mind a warning bell went off the realization, but he ignored it. He remembered the boy's pleas with him to live, but he didn't know if he could go on without him. Harry was more than just the symbol of good victory over evil, he was Snape's personal symbol of hope. And even if Snape could live without that hope, he doubted he would be able to now that he was trapped by Voldemort. He no longer had the strength to fight.

Snape decided to take his chances, whatever fate decided, and looked straight into Voldemort's inhuman red eyes.

***********************************************************************

  
  


Harry was swimming in a sea of hopelessness, of lost souls and their pain. He thought he recognized some of the lost there, but he couldn't quite place them before pain began to sweep through him instead.

'Is this my afterlife,' he thought as he tried to scream through his pain. There was no sound, he did not have a mouth to make any here. 

He felt himself being drawn out of the dense sea and was terrified. Were they planning on taking him somewhere worse? He wanted to cry out for Snape or Sirius. He'd even take Professor Lupin or Dumbledore. Maybe Mr or Mrs Weasley, though he didn't want them hurt if they didn't have to be. He wanted someone to rescue him, someone who he knew he could trust.

  
  


Non-existent tears wanted to spill over as he realized that the one out of all the people he'd met and known love from couldn't save him. Snape was probably still fighting for his life in the Labyrinth. Snape, the one man who had been there for him since he was a gawky first year. The only one to see him for who and what he was. And Harry knew he loved him.

Harry allowed the invisible pull to take hold of him as he remembered Snape and saw him in a new light. Snape had always protected him. He may have treated him horribly, but had never been like the Dursley's, whom Harry knew did nothing in the interest of their nephew. Snape, however, had risked discovery to rescue him. He'd chased after him into what he'd considered dangerous and tried to keep him shielded from it. In his own strange way, he'd been like Mr Weasley had been.

Now Harry knew that love came in many forms. And he knew that loved Snape back for it. He loved him as though he were like Mr Weasley or Sirius. Snape was more than just a mentor and teacher to him, Snape himself had made it so when he had bothered to care for the foolish little adventure boy who looked like his long-dead rival. Harry only hoped Snape survived to share his special brand of parental love with someone a little less blind to it.

Light penetrated the sea and dragged Harry the rest of the way out and into it, blinding him. He screamed and startled himself with his own voice. The pain and blindness receded and he tried desperately to see where he was at. Voices were coming at him from all sides and he panicked as he realized he could not move.

He quieted and put all his energy into moving. First he got his fingers moving, his hands twitching into motion, followed by his arms. Next came his toes. They moved nicely enough so he moved his feet and legs and then his body. He lay twitching on his bed, which he realized was an infirmary bed. He finally let himself be soothed by the voices around him, feeling an exhaustion threaten to pull him back into healing slumber.

"Harry! Harry," an insistent voice called desperately. Harry turned to see Sirius standing next to him, right beside Dumbledore, both their faces blurred by his bad eyesight.

Harry refocused his gaze on Dumbledore as sleep threatened to overtake him. He opened his mouth, but sound refused to come. He reached desperately for Dumbledore, becoming frantic again. He had to get help for Snape, he had to save him!

"You're safe now, Harry," Dumbledore told him. "Try to clam down."

Harry shook his head frantically, his unruly, sweat soaked hair flying. His mouth opened and closed as his throat worked to gather enough air to force out some sound.

"Snape..." Harry finally croaked.

"Snape," Sirius repeated in surprise. Dumbledore simply stilled in surprise.

"Snape..." Harry said again. "Help...Vol...Vol...Vol...de...mo...mort..."

"Shhh... He's safe, Harry," Mrs Weasley tried to calm him from his other side. He ignored her, his eyes locked on Dumbledore's as his movements stilled in an effort to reserve all his energy in an attempt to speak.

"Lab...rinth," Harry said, finally losing his fight to stay awake. "Damn."

"I'll say," Ron said miserably as he watched his friend's eyes close once more. Hermione gasped on a sob and his face in his robes. Ron wrapped an arm around her.

"Harry," Sirius cried, trying to shake Harry back awake. "Harry! No! Wake up!"

"Stop it," commanded the firm voice of Madame Pomfrey as she pushed her way to the bed and began to check Harry over.

Dumbledore stood silently by the bed and watched her work, mulling over her words.

"He's only sleeping," she finally announced. "He should wake again on his own."

  
  


A collective sigh of relief went through the room.

"Thank God," Sirius breathed as he practically collapsed onto the bed next to Harry.

"Watch it," commanded a startled Molly Weasley as she watched him almost sit on the boy she considered as one of her own. "You may be next to nothing, but you could hurt him again!"

"I could never hurt my godson," Sirius snapped back as he recovered from the instinctive urge to cower that all motherly figures can inspire in even the bravest of men.

"Well, you almost-" Mrs Weasley stopped abruptly as Dumbledore whirled and rushed hurriedly for the door. "Dumbledore! What? Where are you going?"

"The Labyrinth of the Damned, Molly," Dumbledore yelled over his shoulder as he past the doorway. "To rescue Severus!"

***********************************************************************

  
  


Wormtail watched Harry disappear from Snape's arms and felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. Harry had saved his life when he had deserved anything but and all Wormtail had done was watch him die. 

He shivered as the Dark Lord approached and attempted to scare Snape. The broken figure of the once formidable Potions Master didn't even flinch, though Wormtail cowered enough for both of them from his vantage point. It was eery how unresponsive the man was and Wormtail wasn't sure what was the matter at first. Was the man too petrified to even show fear?

He turned from the scene as the Dark Lord cursed Snape, but looked back up at the lack of sound to reach his sensitive rat ears. His eyes widened as he watched Snape writhed on the ground in almost perfect silence. 

'It's not fear that keeps him silent,' Wormtail realized with a start, 'it's shock. Or grief. Or maybe both...'

Wormtail stared in awe at the Slytherin who had more courage than most of the Gryffindors he had ever known. It was almost unfathomable that this man could not be afraid of the most terrible creature in history. It shamed Wormtail and made him regret that he, a Gryffindor, had failed his friends so horribly when a Slytherin could serve and protect so bravely. 

He hesitated for a moment, the familiar feeling of fear crawling through his gut, before creeping unnoticed to Snape, who had stopped writhing by now. He hid in his robes as Snape sat up to look at the one who would kill him. He had hidden behind his cowardice for too long, now he just had to make up for it. He would save Snape. Maybe they wouldn't send him to Azkaban then....

Bravely, Snape looked Voldemort in the eye and spoke the words that forced Wormtail to wonder if he shouldn't just turn tail and run as a new wave of terror and shock rolled through him. 

"Kill me."

  
  


Next Chapter: That He Lived the Best 


	12. That He Lived the Best

Hmmm...well, I'm enjoying Japan. It's really does get hot and humid here though. I barely had time to write this too. Too many things to do and I have to study a lot to understand, but I believe I'm improving... I also got the third Harry Potter book in Japanese the other day, which makes me happy...even if I can't read it yet. ;o

Anyway, Chapter 12 is starting to pick up the action a bit. I'm also not sure that everyone is going to like what I'm doing with Wormtail, but...oh well! I'll try to get Chapter 12 out soon. I already have it planned out and somebody will be mortally wounded. But I'm gonna be mean and not tell. There will also be someone severely wounded. Again, not telling. Hopefully, it will be an interesting (omoshiroi) chapter. 

Oh, and I currently have 198 reviews!!! Thank you!!! I'm glad you enjoy!!! But I'm curious, who will be reviewer 200??

::hides a katana behind her back and starts watching for Lycoris's flags to appear::

Enjoy!!

  
  


Sirius watched Dumbledore rush from the room in confusion. 

Snape was in trouble? Last he'd heard, Snape had gone to spy on Voldemort, but that HAD been several hours ago. Did that mean he'd been caught?

Sirius' eyes widened as the realization hit him. Snape had been caught-- and it was because of his having gone to rescue Harry a week ago. Snape had risked everything to save Sirius' godson and it might cost him just that. 

"I've got to help him," Sirius said suddenly, looking at no one in particular.

Startled, Lupin and the Weasley's looked at him, "What?"

"Snape," Sirius said, getting to his feet. "He saved Harry. I have to help him."

"Wait," Lupin said, moving forward as if to bodily stop Sirius. "Dumbledore will take care of it. There might be dementors there. You wouldn't survive an encounter with them."

Sirius shook his head, sending his shaggy black hair flying, "I have to go. He might die because he helped Harry. He saved my godson. I have to go."

Sirius looked Lupin in the eye as he said solemnly, "Watch over him?"

Lupin looked as though he wanted to protest further, but he only clenched his jaw and nodded quickly. 

A quiet double sob sounded in the room as Mrs Weasley took Hermione's lead and began to cry on her husband's shoulder. Sirius smiled at the sight of the father and son as they comforted their women.

Sirius turned and smoothed Harry's hair back from his forehead sadly, "I'll never really leave you. And you were always worth it."

Tears formed in everyone's eyes at the touching scene, even Sirius' eyes seemed wet as he transformed into the dog and ran from the room. Harry moaned in his sleep, as though in unconscious protest.

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Dumbledore walked quickly through the castle, taking every secret corridor he could remember in his rush to make it to the grounds. He finally reached the door and practically barreled through it, not even bothering to close the doors after him.

  
  


Quickly he ran through the castle grounds to an area he could apparate from, barely noticing the large dog that loped up to run beside him. Dumbledore skidded to a halt just outside the Hogwarts' gates and looked down at the dog.

"What do you think you're going to do, Sirius," he asked the dog.

The dog popped back into a man and looked determinedly at Dumbledore. "I'm going with you to save Snape."

"I thought you hated him, Sirius," Dumbledore said calmly, not letting any of his anxiety show.

"He saved my godson to get him into this mess, the least I can do is help get him out of it," Sirius told him. Dumbledore watched as Sirius set his jaw in a determined look that Dumbledore still remembered from his school days to mean Sirius' stubborn streak was coming into full play. 

"Alright," Dumbledore sighed, watching the sky become brighter with the encroaching dawn. "Hold onto me. We'll apparate together and I'll guide us there."

Sirius nodded and wrapped an arm around Dumbledore's, his free hand bringing out a wand. Dumbledore took his out as well and nodded at Sirius. With a pop, the two men disappeared just in time for the sun to peak its head over the horizon. 

***********************************************************************

  
  


"Kill me," Severus Snape repeated to the stunned evil lord that stood before him. "You were always going to, anyway, weren't you? You were just waiting for someone with half my talent for potions to come along to replace me first."

An ironic smile crept across the dark lord's serpentine face as he watched his one-time servant stare defiantly up at him. Almost lazily he twirled his wand, careful to keep it pointed at Snape the whole time. He cocked his to the side and stepped a little closer, his movement smooth and imperious. 

"So," he said icily, his high voice practically dripping with icicles. "You want death. I would not be so easy on you. Perhaps I should allow you to live. At least until I have finally taken Hogwarts and killed that old fool Dumbledore."

A small spark of life lit in Snape's eyes for a moment before fading, leaving no trace that it had ever been there. He continued to stare dispassionately up at Voldemort, his eyes never leaving the malicious red ones.

"You think that you will win because you could defeat Harry Potter," Snape told him. "Harry was only a defenseless child, but Albus Dumbledore is a grown wizard with powers that can and will defeat you, eventually."

"CRUCIO," Voldemort screamed vengefully at Snape. 

"How dare you imply that that old fool is greater than I! I am Lord Voldemort and I have found immortality! I am the greatest wizard to ever live! Even greater than Merlin himself," Voldemort raged at Snape's writhing, cursed body.

Snape silently endured the curse, hoping it would all end soon. He found he was exhausted from this battle. He was no longer a young man.

"Now what do you have to say," Voldemort asked him as he lowered his wands from Snape's still twitching form. 

"You will lose, Tom Riddle," Snape told the dark lord quietly, his voice full of lingering pain.

Voldemort angrily lifted his wand to curse Snape once again, but suddenly he was blocked by a balding, shaking man. Peter Pettigrew stood, in human form, facing his master and quaking with fear. 

  
  


"Expelliarmus," he cried, pointing a wand at Voldemort and allowing none of his fear to enter into his voice. 

Voldemort flew across the labyrinth's center and through a tall shrub with a roar of rage. Pettigrew turned back to Snape, almost falling in the attempt before he righted himself. 

"We have to run! He'll be back soon," Pettigrew told Snape as he reached down to help him up.

"What happened, Wormtail? Finally find your stomach," Snape asked, glaring at his would be rescuer and knowing that it was already too late.

"Maybe," squeaked Pettigrew, turning to face Voldemort, whom he could hear bursting back through the shrubs. 

"Wormtail," Voldemort screamed, his rage a seemingly tangible thing. He raised his wand at the shaking Wormtail and opened his mouth to speak-

"Expelliarmus," came a familiar cry. Snape and Pettigrew turned to see Sirius Black and Dumbledore standing in the very center of the Labyrinth's center.

Voldemort dodged the spell and turned to face both his victims and their rescuers, "Dumbledore. We meet again."

  
  


Next Chapter: When He Let Go 


	13. When He Let Go

Well, ff.net will hopefully cooperate with this chapter and keep it up. I'm home from Japan now and so will be working as much as I can to get this done. I have a class and internship, but should be able to manage it by the end of the month at the very most. Only three or four more chapters, so hopefully by the end of next week. 

Also, I don't plan on another sequel, but Draco's demanding attention, so will be doing another Harry Potter story in the same line as this one. Sort of a continuation. Will let you know the title for it later, but if you wanna know when it's up, just say so in a review or email. Any email addresses I have for alerting people to this story's updates will be deleted at the end of this story. They were only kept for the purpose of alerting people to this story's updates.

Now, I've had this written awhile, but haven't been able to put it up. I though it was due to the probs that ff.net has been having, but I think I might be wrong. Seems my disk went bad. Might be due to all the security checks in the airports. This disk did go to Japan with me after all. And I really wish stupid TERRORISTS would keep their destructive tendencies to themselves! Got a prob, DISCUSS it like a human being, not like a stupid jungle creature!! All you're doing is annoying people, NOT getting any points across. 

(Ok, done ranting.)

I've put up a new story that is totally unrelated to this story arc. It's called, "Harry Potter and the Turncoat." If you like this story and the previous one, check it out, please.

::Starts watching with her dragon for Lycoris's nefarious flags.::

Anyway, as always, ENJOY!!

  
  


It was dawn and the sun was rising over the labyrinth, lightening the sky but not Draco's dark mood. HE doubted that even the sun could ever chase away the deep abiding fears he now felt after this night of hell. The Death Eaters had all left to give aid to their lord, leaving Draco, Pansy, Goyle and Crabbe alone to wonder what would happen. Crabbe and Goyle seemed to be as clueless as usual and were sitting under a tree watching as Pansy clung to a somber Draco. Pansy was ecstatic as only a ditz knew how to be. 

"Ooooh," she cooed in Draco's ear, causing him to flinch, "Do you think they've killed him yet, Draco? Do you think the Dark Lord has killed them yet?"

Draco didn't answer, he simply stared off into the labyrinth as the sun rose higher into the lightening sky. In a way, he hoped that the Dark Lord would be the one killed. He was looking forward to becoming a Death Eater; no matter what he told Potter and his crew, he didn't really like the Dark Forces. He only had a morbid curiosity for all things Dark.

"Do you really think Potter's dead, Draco," Crabbe asked him when he didn't answer. "Who will we pick on if he is?"

Draco walked over to fit himself between Crabbe and Goyle's large bodies, hoping to dislodge Pansy as he did so. No such luck, she only plopped herself down on his lap and cuddled close. Draco groaned and gave up, finally giving in to his need to think about it all. 

It had been 5 years since he had first met Harry Potter and he still hoped, somewhere deep, deep down, to befriend the Boy-Who-Lived. He just knew, somehow, that if he did, he'd be freed from the Dark Lord's clutches and safe from his father's forcing him to hand over his life to darkness. Draco knew that Harry Potter would never simply let one his friends be hurt from experience. 

Potter was too loyal to let even the jaded, cold person Draco had been born fall to damnation.

"The Dark Lord will give us plenty of victims to play with," Pansy reassured her boyfriend's lackeys as she fought a yawn.

A shiver of disgust ran through Draco's body which Pansy ignored in favor of cuddling closer. 

"What about Professor Snape," asked Goyle.

"The Dark Lord is going to kill him," Pansy told him with a little laugh. "Serves him right though. Not only did he never give me a good grade, but he betrayed us all to Dumbledore."

"Oh," Goyle said, slightly sadly.

Draco silently agreed with Goyle. He had liked the sarcastic teacher, felt a kinship with him that he had never felt with anyone else before. Snape had somehow become like his mentor, and Draco would miss him, even if he was about to die for acting like a filthy Gryffindor.

A tight feeling began to swirl in Draco's gut and he began to be uncomfortable with being so close to anyone, especially the three fools he called friends. He stood abruptly, Pansy falling off his lap with a little squeak.

"Draco," she asked half angry, half uncertain. 

"I'm hot," Draco said simply, fighting to stop a shiver that had nothing to do with the weather.

"You can use me for a pillow, Pansy," Crabbe told her hopefully with a stupid grin.

Pansy looked at him disgustedly before getting up to stalk off closer to the entrance to the maze. 

Draco watched her go for a few minutes before turning his gaze back to the rising dawn. 

"Too bad the sun can't burn all fears away," he murmured to himself.

"Huh," Crabbe and Goyle said together.

"Shut up," Draco snapped/sighed at them. 

The other two fell into obedient silence as they watched Draco continue to stand in wait of the end of the battle.

***********************************************************************  
  
"Dumbledore," Snape breathed, sounding amazed. He hadn't really expected a rescue.

"Yes, Severus," Dumbledore answered, his eyes never leaving Voldemort. "We heard you were in trouble and came to assist."

"You never could keep that greasy head out of trouble," Sirius said with an evil grin at Voldemort.

"I do believe that was you," Snape said coldly, a little of his old nature beginning to creep back into his chilled body. 

"Ah..." Wormtail, squeaked as he saw Voldemort suddenly raise and point his wand at Dumbledore.

Dumbledore practically roared a spell at Voldemort as he and Sirius rolled to avoid the well aimed, "Avada Kedavra!"

Voldemort was flung back, hitting the shrub covered stone wall with a high scream of rage. He stood immediately and made to rush Dumbledore as his Death Eaters finally began to rush in the entrances. Voldemort raised his wand and opened his mouth to shout the killing curse.

"Dumbledore," Snape and Sirius screamed in unison as they leapt to push Dumbledore to safety. 

They never made it, Wormtail was faster. He jumped and shoved Dumbledore to the side as the beam of magic sailed over their shoulders to blast a thick tree that stood behind them. The tree exploded outward, splinters flying it. One large piece spiraled away and down, spearing Wormtail through the chest and narrowly missing Dumbledore's.

"Peter," Dumbledore gasped, his eyes wide.

Sirius stopped, staring in utter surprise, "He...saved...him..."

"Expelliarmus," a hoarse, angry voice screamed. Sirius looked up to see Snape pointing his wand where Voldemort had once been. Voldemort was now lying on the cold stone ground near one of the entrances, his followers still not yet in the center staring down at him. The others stood stunned and staring down at the once cowardly Wormtail.

"Avada Kedavra," screamed the unmistakable voice of Lucius Malfoy. Dumbledore ducked and the curse flew the bushes behind his head and slammed into a wall on the opposite side of the center, sending debris flying.

"Stupefy," cried Dumbledore in return. Malfoy moved to block the spell, but he wasn't fast enough and he dropped silently to the ground. Dumbledore gathered Wormtail in his arms as he looked over at Sirius and Snape who now stood side-by-side where he had once stood.

A loud pop sounded through the clearing as Dumbledore apparated away with Wormtail and the Death Eaters began to surge forward once again. Sirius jumped back into action and wrapped a hand around Snape's forearm and apparated them back to Hogwarts just before the first of the Death Eater's curses could reach them.

***********************************************************************  
  
Snape hurried over to Dumbledore and Wormtail with Sirius at his side as soon as they reappeared outside the Hogwarts gates. Wormtail was coughing blood, while Dumbledore worked frantically to staunch the blood that was flowing from his chest.

"Peter," Sirius breathed as he dropped down next to him.

"I..." Wormtail replied, stopping to cough up some more blood, "sorry. I...was a...a fool."

Sirius looked angry for a moment before stopping to look up at Snape and Dumbledore. "I know," he told Wormtail, "I remember."

"I...thought...you...had for..got...ten..." Wormtail told his old friend with a small smile. He eyes closed as he finished and his head rolled to the side.

"Peter," Sirius cried, not knowing how he felt as Dumbledore conjured Wormtail onto a magical stretcher and began to run with him back to the castle.

"Come on," Snape said as he began to dejectedly follow Dumbledore. Sirius changed back into a dog and trotted along at his side in confused silence.

  
  


Next Chapter: He Continues to Walk


	14. He is a Redeemed Man

Here is Chapter 14. I actually rather like this chapter. Though it doesn't have a cliffhanger ending I don't think. But that's ok, since we're nearing the end of our story. There's only two more chapters left.

I have also fixed Chapter 13. The comp did a lot more damage to it than I originally thought. I suggest reading it through before reading this chapter. I mention something in this chapter that was destroyed in the original Chapter 13. 

Now...ENJOY!

  
  


He was back- and he was angry. The Dark Lord had only returned to the clearing outside the Labyrinth five minutes before, but he had already tortured two Death Eaters into unconsciousness. One them had been Draco's father, whom he had awakened just for the pleasure of torturing for his failure. 

Pansy cowered behind Draco, who was attempting to hide behind a tree. He might have succeeded if not for Crabbe and Goyle who were attempting to also hide behind his tree. All four of them hoped with all their might that the Dark Lord had forgotten their presence. And for a while it seemed he had. The sun had finally risen high in the sky when the Dark Lord finally finished his fourth victim and looked up to see the cowering quartet behind the tree.

"Draco Malfoy," he called, "bring your sniveling friends here!"

Draco jumped back and tripped over Pansy's robes, falling back with her on top of Crabbe and Goyle. They fell along with Draco and Pansy, cushioning their fall.

"I haven't all day," screamed the Dark Lord, cursing another of his Death Eaters in his anger.

Draco and the others scrambled to their feet and ran out to stand before him with their heads bowed. They were terrified out of their minds and did not want to do anything to draw out their lord's wrath on themselves, especially since they were already quivering from fear.

"Stop that shivering," the Dark Lord shouted at them, himself almost quivering in his anger.

He stepped forward and lifted each of the faces in turn, moving them as though inspecting their worth. When he reached Draco, he nodded and reached down to his arm.

"You will do nicely," he told Draco, pointing his wand at Draco's arm.

Draco's eyes widened as he realized what was about to occur, but he knew better than to pull away. He screamed as the Dark Lord uttered his spell. He writhed, his body held standing by Death Eaters that had surrounded him as he approached the Dark Lord. His screams rose higher and higher until it seemed that he would destroy his vocal cords if he screamed any more or higher, but Draco wasn't even aware he was screaming. His entire existence was pain, aware only of it and the painfully tight grip of the Dark Lord.

Finally, the Dark Lord released him and Draco slipped from the Death Eaters' grips to the ground where he lay gasping, shivering in lingering pain. He lifted his arm slowly to watch as a black Dark Mark darkened on his forearm. He dropped his arm back down beside him and closed his eyes tightly shut as a feeling of crushing doom settled on his chest, making him feel as though he were suffocating. A tear trickled silently from his eye.

"Stop that crying and stand," the Dark Lord commanded him. 

And Draco did, too scared to listen to his body's need for rest. 

"Good, my servant. You will make a better servant, won't you, my Draco," the Dark Lord said, reaching out to run a long grey finger down Draco's pale, flushed face.

Draco shivered, repelled by his now master, but managed to not jerk back and stammer out, "Y-y-yes, m-my L-l-l-lord-d."

  
  


Voldemort smiled a cold, evil smile that cause fear to send electric shocks up Draco's spine before turning back around and motioning a Death Eater over to him. Draco dropped back, relieved that he had escaped alive, but dathly afraid of what would happen to him next.

"Oooh," Pansy cooed into his ear. "You're a full-fledged Death Eater now! How wonderful, right, Draco darling?"

Draco nodded absently, one hand moving to rub his new Dark Mark. 'Just wonderful,' he thought.

***********************************************************************

  
  


"I never thought I'd say it," said Ron as he stared at the sheet covered figure lying on the hospital bed before him, "but I'm sorry he's dead."

Hermione, who stood next to him, nodded and took his hand, giving it a squeeze before turning to watch Sirius and Lupin. Both men were standing stoically staring at the bed, seemingly oblivious to the world around them. Sadness seemed to exude from Lupin's very body, as though he'd had so much pain already, his body unable to absorb any more. From Sirius, though, there was nothing. It was as though a void had taken over where his body had once stood.

Snape snorted from where he sat watching as Madame Pomfrey bustled around him, finally having the time to patch him up, "One act of bravery committed in an entire lifetime does not bring one redemption."

"You'd know, wouldn't you, Severus," Lupin told him quietly. His words, though spoken in a voice barely above a whisper, were cutting, bringing everyone in the room an image of Snape at knife point. 

Snape's eyes glittered at the rebuff, "The important one survived."

"I'm flattered you consider me important, Severus," Dumbledore said quietly, his voice exuding sadness. 

Snape's face hardened and his eyes took on a gleam that looked suspiciously like threatening tears. He turned his head to where Ron stood with an arm slung around Hermione's shoulder watching the proceedings. Ginny sat at his feet staring at a curtained off area that Snape assumed held what was left of Harry Potter. Angrily, he set his jaw and he turned towards them, his eyes flashing.

"I see you two have finally decided to stop making puppy eyes at each other," he drawled sarcastically.

Hermione and Ron's faces turned as red as Ron's hair, drawing a laugh out of most of those gathered in the room. Ron shifted nervously and Hermione shot a nervous glance at him. He dropped his arm and Hermione sat down next to Ginny, her brightly flushed face clashing with the younger girl's hair. Ginny grinned at her friend and hugged her to her as Hermione let out a nervous giggle.

Snape growled in annoyance, "I'm glad you feel able to make lovey while your FRIEND lies dead behind a curtain."

Everything in the room stopped. Madame Pomfrey stopped spreading salve on Snape's bare chest. Lupin's eyes widened in surprise. Mr and Mrs Weasley's mouths hung open as they gaped him. Hermione, Ron and Ginny gasped and stared at him with wide eyes in pale faces. Dumbledore's eyes widened, a twinkle barely daring to make it's way into them. Sirius looked up and over at Snape with unfathomable dark eyes.

"What are you all staring at," Snape snapped, bristling, then wincing from his bristle.

"Harry's alive, Severus," Dumbledore told him gently.

Snape's eyes widened as he stared at Dumbledore. Hope blossomed in his heart that he fought to subdue, telling himself that it couldn't possibly be true.

  
  


"B-but he-he disappeared from my arms. I saw him die..." Snape told them breathlessly. "He can't be alive!"

A smile quirked up on Dumbledore and Lupin's lips, "He is alive, Severus. He's simply asleep, healing from his wounds." 

Snape shook his head, his eyes betraying the fact that he wanted it to be true, but couldn't take the chance of being hurt again if it wasn't.

"He's the one who told us where to find you, Snape," Sirius croaked, causing the room to jump in surprise.

Snape stared at his haggard old school rival for a moment before dropping his gaze back down to what he could see of his lap past Madame Pomfrey's head. 

Silence took back the room for a few more minutes while its occupants tried to digest the fact that their infamous Potions Master was human enough to care. And that he cared about the Boy-Who-Lived.

Finally, Dumbledore sighed, "I should go contact the Ministry now. Peter's body will prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that Sirius is innocent. I'm sure that if it doesn't, it will at least persuade them to administer Veritaserum to Sirius to ascertain the truth." 

Sirius nodded and shuffled sadly back into the curtained area where Harry lay. Lupin watched him sadly before following Dumbledore as he moved by Wormtail's bed and left the room. 

Mrs Weasley sighed and gathered her family and Hermione together, "Alright then. Everything is settled. It's time we all went and got some sleep." The others nodded and allowed themselves to be herded from the room without argument.

Madame Pomfrey worked silently for a few more minutes while Snape sat on the bed and allowed her to fuss and smooth soothing salves over his body. He even obediently downed a bone-strengthening potion after she had finished healing a couple broken bones. 

"There," Madame Pomfrey said, standing and pulling his hospital robe back closed over his body. "That's done. Now, I'll give you a sleeping potion and you can rest and gain back some strength."

She hustled over to a shelf full of glasses and bottles full of potions. Taking down one of each, she turned back to Snape only to find he was no longer there. With a gasp of surprise she quickly surveyed the room and caught a brief glance of his black robe as he disappeared behind the curtain to Harry's hospital bed. 

Snape walked up to Harry's bed, stopping to stand just next Sirius at it's head. He stared down at the pale sleeping boy on the bed with something akin to awe in his eyes.

"Touch him," Sirius croaked suddenly, causing Snape to give a jump that doubled the ache in his muscles. "He's real and he's alive. He's not going to disappear." 

"He did the last time," Snape said softly, for once without the usual sarcasm in his voice. Nevertheless, he reached out and ran a long finger down Harry's scar, brushing a lock of raven hair from the boy's pale forehead. 

Sirius watched him, silent thoughts running through his brain as he processed the changes he couldn't help but notice. He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Madam Pomfrey's irritated voice.

"Well, I hope you're satisfied now," she said, her voice betraying her annoyance at having one of her patients running around the hospital ward when she believed he should be resting. "It's time for bed. You can stare at him some more later, Severus Snape. And no arguments!" 

Snape nodded and allowed her to lead him back to bed, his mind and heart satisfied. Madame Pomfrey tucked him in and poured the sleeping potion down his throat, taking no chances that he would change his mind and go back to stand vigil over Harry once more. The last thought that chased through Snape's head before sleep carried him off was, 'He's ALIVE...'

  
  
  
  


Next Chapter: Only His Own Fears Left to Face


	15. Only His Own Fears Left to Face

EEEEE!! It took me so long to get this up!!! I am so sorry!! Life was working my rear off!!! And my mom got sick!! Ugh!! 

Anyway, next chapter will be the last one. ::sniffles sadly:: But I'll begin work on the Draco one as soon as I get settled into school, which starts August 28. Since I have 6 classes this semester I don't want to work on something I may have no time to work on. So I'll get to work on it as soon as my schedule settles again. And the last chapter of this will be up by next weekend I hope. After that, if you want, you can content yourself with my other story, Harry Potter and the Turncoat at http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=848313 (shameless plug, I know).

I hope you like Snape and Sirius and Harry in this one. I keep trying to keep them believable, in-character and yet still growing. ::sighs frustratedly::

ENJOY!!!

::hops on Star the unicorn (see A/N from chapter 11) and chases off after Lycoris and her confounded flags::

  
  
  
  


Light streamed in the sickbay windows, lighting the large room brightly as Snape finally woke late the next morning. He blinked his eyes rapidly, trying to protect them from a beam of light that was shining on his face and remember where he was at the same time. After a moment he turned his face to the side and his adjusted, finally coming to focus on the curtains that hid Harry's still slumbering body.

Snape moved slowly as he sat up, his body aching in areas he had not remembered he had since the last time he had been subjected to the Cruciatus curse. Slowly, as quietly as he could so as not to attract the attention of Madame Pomfrey, Snape slid his legs off the side of the bed to allow his feet to dangle slightly above the stone castle floor. He began to slide off the bed entirely, but he had no more than touched his feet to the floor than a low, rough voice stopped him.

"You know," it said, "Madame Pomfrey won't like you being out of bed."

Snape glanced over to see Sirius Black lounging in a chair at the foot of the bed across from him. His black hair fell across a face gone gaunt and pale with worry and grief. His eyes stared out of dark, sunken sockets that hid the lingering pain and madness that Snape was sure still haunted them.

"Where did you come from, Black," Snape growled, shifting to better face him. A sharp pain ran up his hip and back at the quick movement and Snape made a mental note to move more slowly the next time.

Sirius shrugged, "What happened between you and Harry?"

Snape blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected that question and he wasn't really sure he wanted to answer it.

"What do you care," he snarled defensively in return.

Sirius cocked his head to the side, his eyes narrowing slightly, "He's my godson. I don't want him hurt."

Snape allowed a small ghost of a smile to curl his lips up bitterly, "Him hurt? Or you hurt, Black?"

"Him," Sirius spat out, anger finally managing to light his eyes. "You're an evil git who could never say a kind word, never mind care for a child."

"I will never hurt him," Snape told him flatly, his natural nastiness finally draining away as he acknowledged the truth of Sirius's words. "I protected him with my own blood. It's more than you ever did."

Snape's flat, emotionless statement stung Sirius like no sarcastic or angry remark ever had and guilt entered his eyes to war with the anger. 

"I tried to protect them," he ground out finally. 

Snape nodded in response and the guilt finally won in Sirius's eyes. Sirius stared at the floor for a few moments while Snape turned to watch the curtains that hid Harry from his view. He started, sending shocks throughout his body as Sirius sat down on the bed next to him. Snape stared at him with wide eyes as Sirius stared at Harry curtained cubicle.

"You were the one that warned us that You-Know-Who was after the Potters, weren't you," Sirius asked him quietly after a moment.

Snape nodded, turning back to watch Harry's curtains once more with the knowledge that Sirius could see his answer. 

"And you've protected, or attempted to protect, Harry since he came to school," Sirius continued.

"What are you getting at," Snape asked softly.

Sirius was silent for a few moments. A look of pain seemed to flit quickly across his face as he finally stood.

"Keep watch over him for me," Sirius told Snape, not daring to glance at the surprised man. "Maybe we can protect him better if we do it together."

Sirius strode over to the door, but stopped to tell the slack-jawed Snape, "Besides, he needs all the love he can get now," before he disappeared into the hallways of Hogwarts Castle.

Snape stared after him for a long while, shock fogging his mind and distracting him from his surroundings. He never the boy that stood by the curtains until he spoke hesitantly.

"P-Professor Snape," it asked, startling him out of his trance.

Snape's head whipped around to find a pale, weak-looking Harry leaning on the curtain supports. His pajamas were rumpled, his eyes held dark circles under them and his normally unkempt hair was flying every direction imaginable, but to Snape he simply looked ALIVE.

"Harry," he gasped gravelly, "You're awake..."

"You're ok," Harry asked again as he released his hold on the bars that held the curtains up and took a hesitant step towards Snape. He stumbled slightly and Snape sprang up from the bed to rush forward and gather Harry quickly to him, barely noticing the pain that accompanied the action.

"Foolish boy," he growled, steering Harry back to his bed. "You should be in bed still. Your body needs to regain it's energy after purging that poison."

"Thank you, Professor," Harry told him with a smile as he lay back against his pillows.

Snape stilled in his motions to tuck Harry under his blankets, his dark eyes filling with surprise, "What?"

Harry's smile grew into a grin, "Thank you. For caring for me."

Snape snorted, but smiled as he went back to tucking Harry's covers tightly around him, as though frightened Harry might escape if he didn't tie him down.

"I'm sorry I almost got you killed," Harry told him, his deep green eyes full of guilt."

"You give yourself too much credit," Snape told him sharply. "The entire world doesn't revolve around the famous Harry Potter."

"But it's my fault that Voldemort came back," Harry told him, wincing as Snape flinched at the name of his former master. "If it wasn't for me Cedric would still be alive and you wouldn't have almost been killed."

Snape's eyes narrowed as he glared angrily at Harry, "It may be hard for you to believe, but do bear with me. You are NOT the hero. You are a boy. Stop being a pig-headed Gryffindor before I have you scrubbing my dungeons."

Harry looked taken aback at Snape's, but his smile soon returned. He reached up to give a quick hug to the surly Potions Master before burying himself protectively back into his covers.

"Thank you, Professor Snape," he said as he closed his eyes, not wanting to see Snape reject him.

Snape sighed softly as the surprise from the quick hug slowly faded away, leaving only the warmth it had awakened in his heart. He reached over and brushed a lock of hair from Harry's forehead before turning to attempt an escape from the hospital ward.

"May I visit you in the dungeons anyway, Professor," Harry asked him, never opening his eyes, but squeezing them hopefully shut.

"Do what you want, Potter," Snape told him darkly, though a happy hope that he would sprang up in his chest.

Harry settled back into his pillows, happy to be accepted and cared for while his professor left the room a little less cold, his step a little lighter. 

Twinkling blue eyes watched happily from a dark shadow on the other side of Harry's curtains, their light shadowed only by the knowledge that the entire world did revolve around Harry to one person. One person called: Lord Voldemort. And he would not stop until that world - and Harry's life - was his.

  
  


Next Chapter: Until The Bloody Path Leads Home


	16. Until The Bloody Path Leads Home

::Stares in shock at Lycoris and her one, count them - ONE, flag::

The LAST CHAPTER!! ::sobs:: I'm sorry this is late, but I didn't really want to end it! But what do you think of this ending? Too fast? Too sappy? I know I said there would be no romance, but I added a slight overtone to the characters into a certain mood and talking. It's ONLY a vehicle. And I didn't mention Sirius, sorry Nexus, but he will be alright. I will go into more detail with him in the spin-off story, but I love him just as much as Snape. Of course, that doesn't mean I am adverse to a bit of character torture, quite the opposite. ::grins evilly as Snape, Sirius, Harry and Lycoris all back off fearfully, Lycoris running to hide behind Fluffy:: 

I think I'll probably call the next story, Harry Potter and the search for Redemption. Keep a look out with my name for it or if you want, ask me to e-mail you when it's up. Just make the e-mail address easy to find please. 

The poem in this chapter was written by yours truly and then split up to create the chapter titles. Steal and I will kill! I'm calling it "Road to Redemption" and will prolly try and publish it eventually. It IS mine, H.L. Armstrong's. Do not take without permission. 

I'm glad you've all enjoyed my story. Now please read this last chapter and, as always, ENJOY!!

Over the remaining summer months, Harry became a regular visitor to the dungeons. Occasionally, Ron or Hermione would accompany him, but normally it was only himself and Professor Snape that spent the warm summer days concocting potions and discussing defense techniques against the Dark Arts. 

"Have you gone daft," Ron had exclaimed when he first discovered that Harry willingly went to see their most hated professor in the dungeons on a daily basis.

Harry, however, saw nothing wrong with the idea. He'd almost forgotten a time when his professor's snide comments and cold attitude had repelled him rather than reassure him. The others remembered though. It never failed to amaze McGonagall when she would enter a room to find the two in conversation, a half smile on Snape's lips and a warm look in his eyes as he sparred verbally with Harry who seemed to enjoy rather than fear the man's company. Even Ron came to admit, albeit much later, that the acerbic attitude of the cold professor had changed. 

Or perhaps Professor Snape's ways had not changed. Perhaps, they simply had a new way of viewing that attitude now, as Hermione thoughtfully pointed out on a visit the last weekend before school was scheduled to start up again.

"You think," Ron asked as walked quietly down to the dungeons where they would meet Harry. 

Hermione nodded, her bushy hair bouncing around her face, tempting Ron to brush it back. She turned to smile at him and Ron had a sudden insane urge to grab her and run off to Hogsmeade for the day. Instead, he simply blushed and concentrated on continuing on to Snape's rooms. 

"What do you think changed things," Ron asked after a moment. "I mean, we used to hate him and he used to hate us! What made us all change our minds?"

Hermione simply shrugged, "I don't know..."

They continued on in silence for a few moments until Ron asked in a surprised sort of voice, "What, you're not going to run off to the library?"

Hermione stopped and looked at her friend quizzically, "Why would I go to the library? This isn't an answer that can be found in a book."

Ron gaped at her for a moment before breaking into laughter. Hermione frowned at him before finishing the last few steps to Snape's doorway. She raised her hand in a fist to knock, but never got the chance. Ron, afraid he'd hurt her feelings, dashed forward and stopped her hand.

"It's not a bad thing, Hermione," he told her hurriedly. "It's just...you."

Hermione smiled at him before leaning forward to kiss his cheek gently. Ron froze for a moment, but recovered in time to stop her from pulling away. He hugged her to him and she allowed him to, her surprise overcoming her good judgement.

"Where are you going," Snape asked his student curiously. 

Harry Potter slowed his steps toward the door to the dungeon chamber just enough to tell his professor over his shoulder, "I thought I heard something! It might be Ron and Hermione!"

A small quirk of Snape's lips was all that gave away the fact that he was smiling. Quietly he followed Harry, growing worried when he noticed the boy still after throwing open the door.

"What's going on," he asked, hurrying to stand at Harry's back.

He glared over Harry's head to see Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger in a seemingly blissful embrace. Neither seemed to notice or care that they were no longer alone, rather they both seemed too involved in the dream world they had created as they held one another.

"What are they doing..." breathed Harry after a moment. 

Snape smiled evilly, a mischievous glint in his dark, obsidian eyes, "Why, don't you know a hug when you see one? Really, Potter, I didn't think your education was quite THAT neglected."

Harry glared up at Snape, "Of course I know what a hug is. But WHY are they hugging?"

Snape couldn't stop the soft chuckle from rising in his throat, "Why do you think? They're growing up. You didn't truly believe you'd always be the center of their worlds, did you?"

Harry shook his head, a sad atmosphere seeming to suddenly permeate the air around him. Snape sighed at it and, finally finished being amused by the sappy scene, loudly cleared his throat. Ron and Hermione jumped five feet apart as they turned wide-eyed and startled to face their audience.

"I do not believe the hallways to be suitable for young stallions such as yourself, Mister Weasley, to be suitable for such displays of affection," Snape told the tomato red boy that seemed to be attempting to smile. He watched the blush fade and a goofy smile creep across Ron's face as Ron glanced over at Hermione, who was likewise blushing, though also with a small, flustered smile.

Harry grinned, "'Bout time! Does this mean you're not going to argue anymore?"

Snape glanced quickly down at the boy's naivete, but calmed when he saw the bright look of mischief in his eyes. He smiled minutely and looked back up to see Hermione blush even deeper, if such a thing were possible, and Ron to turn the same color as his bright red hair. Snape turned quickly back around, deciding enough was enough.

"If our displays of affection are over with, there's a potion that needs to be finished," Snape told the three friends as he walked back to the simmering cauldron on the other side of the room. He hadn't walked very far before he was stopped by a pair of arms wrapping around his middle and squeezing briefly before releasing. Then Harry darted around him and ran ahead to the cauldron, followed closely by Ron. 

Hermione had the same idea as Harry, though, it seemed. As she passed her still recovering Potions Master she stopped and turned, jumping up to wrap her arms around his neck. "Thank you," she whispered to him quickly, giving him an even quicker peck on the cheek and darting off after the boys before Snape could suddenly reverse to his old nasty self.

Snape watched the three chatter over the potion he had been teaching Harry as he allowed a small smile to creep over his face. He'd never allowed himself to feel before, but he had to admit it wasn't such a bad thing. He was slowly coming to a decision that he liked it better to be respected rather than feared by his students. 

Slowly, he returned to the cauldron and it's bubbling pink contents, a smile lighting his suspiciously bright eyes even as it tugged at the corner of his lips.

School began, as per usual, September 1st and all the students returned, only mildly surprised to find Harry already there. Their biggest surprise was when they finally realized that Draco Malfoy did not seem to even want to mock Harry for no longer being wanted by the Dursley's, as the entire Wizarding World now knew was the case after the attack on their family. 

Malfoy, for his part, did nothing to fill in the curious Slytherin dorm-mates who dared to enquire after his sudden loss of interest in Harry. He simply quieted all the more, fading into the background as surely as any shadow. Soon it was only a rare occurrence that he could be seen mocking his arch-rival and even Harry was forced to admit that the change was disturbing, when he could bring himself to notice.

Snape's change was far less noticeable. Most only noticed the change after a long while and hearing the gossip that said Harry could be seen venturing to his office even with out a detention or class to bring him there. It was only as they discussed the validity of the rumor that they realized he had not been giving out the detentions and deducting points as he had in all the past years. He was still the snide, feared teacher he had always been, but something had unmistakably changed about him and now his students found themselves looking forward to his classes, if only to continue their study of him. Not one student of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry could say that they weren't at least somewhat interested in what could change their most hateful teacher, though only a few could boast to know exactly what that was. 

And so, it was these few students that were all in agreement during the Christmas that the poem Dumbledore recited was very well-chosen. 

On Rocky Paths of Glory

He Slips on Blood 

He Stumbles Over Shadows

Straight into the Blind Unknown

Fearing the Heartbeat

He Stills Its Pounding

He Worries Over Its Silence

Searching for Its Sound Again

Lost in the Darkness 

He Tries to Keep His Life

He Never Understood the Truth

That He Lived the Best

When He Let Go

He is a Redeemed Man

Only His Own Fears Left to Face

Until The Bloody Path Leads Home 

Still, only one person could be found wishing the words really could be true as he watched the Headmaster recite them with cool, grey eyes. Cool, grey eyes filled with the need to believe in the hope of redemption.

  
  


Look for the spin-off, coming soon!!


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